Zero: A Hero's Rising
by Mr. Fiction51394
Summary: (Formerly Zero to Hero, was unsatisfied with old title) Having his dreams dashed away by All Might, Izuku's hopes of being a hero are gone. But after a chance encounter with a pink-haired inventor. Izuku will be set on the path of being a hero, but no ordinary hero. A vigilante. (My very first published story)(Rated M for mature themes, violence, and mild sexual content)
1. Hope

Chapter 1:

"If you aspire to save people, there's always the police force. Villain custody is often thankless work, but that too is a job worthy of praise! I won't denigrate dreaming. That being said... you need to see reality for what it is, kid."

These words, these four sentences replayed over and over in a his mind. As if a broken record, haunting Izuku Midoriya as he walked home. His body felt numb, his legs moved like they were weighed down by indescribable force. His eyes glazed over, as his body ran on auto pilot. His fragile dreams were shattered in an instant, his hero delivering the killing blow.

All Izuku's life he dreamed of one day being a hero, a future where could help those in need. Not because he wanted the fame, money, or glory. But for the simple reason as it was right. To protect the innocent and the weak. Just like his hero, just like All Might. Even when he didn't get his quirk at four years old he still hoped. Every year he would go back to the doctor and get tested, and every year it was the same result.

**"I'm sorry, you still don't have a quirk."**

But every year he hoped things would be different, after all late-bloomers were not unheard of. That was until his eighth birthday where they told him that if he didn't have one by now he would never have one. Even late-bloomers got their quirks before the age of eight.

He was quirkless, and always would be.

But still he hoped, because it was all he had. He hoped that someone, anyone would tell him.

**"You can be a hero."**

He had hoped that All Might, his driving force, would finally be the one to tell him. After all, All Might was the greatest hero in the world, The Symbol of Peace and Hope he was called. If anyone would say he could be a hero, then it would be him.

But he didn't

He told Izuku he couldn't, that he should face facts and join the police if he wanted to help people. And then he left, All Might in that strange skeletal form left him alone on that roof. Izuku didn't know how long he sat their crying, he wanted to go after All Might. To beg him to say he could be a hero, that he had hope. But he was too weak to even stand, the soul crushing weight of his idol's words knocked all the strength he had in his body.

At some point Izuku stood up and made his way down the stairs from the roof, and began his slow walk home.

He was so numb to the world that he didn't even register the commotion that was happening off in the distance. He didn't hear the sirens, explosions, or the yelling as he walked in the opposite direction.

All he could hear was the words of All Might and his own sobbing.

"W-What am I going to do now?" he whispered to no one. his voice shaken. Even to his own ears his voice sounded foreign and distant. Tears still trailed down his cheeks, his eyes puffy and red from crying. The dreadful pain of anxiety swelled in his chest. All Izuku thought about was being a hero, it's all he had ever planned to be, all her ever wanted to be. But that was over and harsh reality had finally caught up to him.

Maybe he should accept his fate, and take All Might's advice. All Might wasn't wrong, when he said that he could still help people. But that wasn't what Izuku wanted, he wanted to help everyone. But as an officer he would be powerless to help against any real threat. He'd have to watch as Pro Heroes came in and saved the day. But that was all he could do now. He thought of Bakugo, his former friend and current bully. He never held resentments towards fiery teen, for he still saw him as a friend. Even if that feeling wasn't returned. He knew that Bakugo would be a powerful hero one day. He would get into UA no problem, and climb his way to the top.

Just like he always had.

Izuku wanted to be there with him, to climb that ladder together and maybe reforge their friendship. But that chance was gone. Bakugo would go onto UA and he would attend a normal high school. Bakugo would be a hero, and he'd be a officer.

All of these thoughts swirled around in the green haired boy's head. The outside world didn't even factor in as Midoriya shambled on like a zombie like those in old movies.

So it was no surprised that, in his shell-shocked state he would not watch where he was going. Infact he had no idea where he was or where he was going. In his mind he was heading home, but in reality we was nowhere near home. So lost within his own mind he never even saw the cart he was about to crash into.

And with a sudden stop and a loud crash Izuku's world shifted.

"What the?" He groaned, his mind still foggy from his own despair are and the impact of hitting the wagon and his subsequent fall to the ground prevented him from getting a firm grasp on the situation.

"Hey! You okay?" A distant voice called out to him, a feminine voice. The voice brought some clarity to the boy's mind. The fog dissipated slightly and he realized that he was staring straight up at the sky, tinted orange from the setting sun. He looked around for the voice that called to him, but there didn't seem to be anyone. Then he heard the sound of shoes scraping against pavement as they neared him.

"Hey!" The voice called to him, this time much closer and to his right. He swiveled his head to the right, only to be greeted by the face of a concerned teenage girl. Her hair was a light pink and styled as dreads, which was odd to him. But even odder was her eyes, a brilliant yellow with irises that resembled cross-hairs. On her head was a strange set of goggles, and she wore a loose black tank-top. Grease and oil, stained her face and clothes.

"Hey, you okay?" She called again.

Izuku responded by sitting up, he felt a brief sensation of lightheadedness. As it cleared his eyes surveyed the scene before him.

Junk littered the ground around him, and filled the bed of a small metal wagon, bits and bobs of every kind of junk could be seen even from where he sat on the ground. Old radios, TVs, the half gutted remains of a laundry dryer, a lawnmower engine, and much more.

"Hey! Are you deaf, I asked if you're okay!?" The pink haired girl yelled, a slight annoyance to her tone.

That was the last bit of shock he needed to bring himself fully back to reality. He faced the girl, her puffed cheeks and frown told him she was upset, but her eyes said she was worried.

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. J-Just s-sort of out of it, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." His voice was low and shy.

The girl crossed her arms, and sighed. "It doesn't seem like your okay, here." Her arms unfolded and she stretched out a gloved hand to him. In the light of the sunset gave her this warm and inviting glow to her and Izuku couldn't help but blush slightly. He grabbed her hand, and with a surprising amount of strength the odd girl lifted him onto his feet no problem.

"You really should be more careful, there's a lot of heavy things in this wagon that you definitely wouldn't want falling on you." She cracked a smile, and giggled. Izuku gave her a much weaker smile in return.

"Y-Yeah." His eyes scanned the ground and noticed a bunch of small electronic and mechanical parts laying across the pavement. "Sorry about the mess, let me help." Izuku's voice was starting to come back to him, more like his normal self. He knelt down and began grabbing as many parts as he could. Once he had an arm full he would carefully place them in the cart so they wouldn't fall again.

He was too busy to notice it, but the girl had a wide smile on her face as she watched him work. With a small chuckle she bent down beside him, her dreads falling forward and obscured her face somewhat. Her hands grabbed at the nearest pieces of junk and with little care or tact that Izuku had she chucked them back into the wagon. Sometimes a piece would fall back down and she or Izuku would pick it up. And with the two of them working together the mess was cleaned up in no time.

Izuku reached out for the last piece of junk that littered the ground, it appeared to be a bowl with a strap on the back. As he picked it up he turned it over and was curious as to what he saw.

It was a mask, depicting a somewhat menacing looking face with a wide smile that took up the lower half of the mask. White eye lens stared back at him as he held it in both hands. A strange feeling washed over him, like this mask was special for some reason.

He decided not to dwell on it and placed it a top the pile.

"There, done." A satisfied sigh escaped Izuku's mouth. He was honestly feeling a bit better, his mind taken off his own dread if only for a short time. Beside him the girl stretched her arms, a wide smile on her face, not all that dissimilar to the mask.

"Ah, thanks for helping me pick up." Her tone and mood was high as her body swayed merrily.

Izuku absentmindedly rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "It's the least I could do, I was the one who caused the mess in the first place, plus you came over and made sure I was okay and helped me up."

"Nah, don't feel bad about the mess. Wouldn't have taken me long to clean by myself anyway." Her gloved hand reached out to him. "My name is Mei Hatsume."

Izuku hesitated for a moment before reaching out with his own hand. "Greetings Hatsume-san, my name is Izuku Midoriya." The two of them shook hands, while Mei giggled.

"No need to be so formal Izuku, just call me Mei." Her smile

Izuku blushed heavily, his polite and formal nature got the better of him. "Uh...Sorry Hatsume-san, I mean Mei-san." A pretty girl had just used his first name, and was asking him to use hers. A right usually reserved for close friends or lovers, and this girl he just met was letting him use it. It was almost too much for the poor boy to handle at this time, his emotions still to raw from his disastrous conversation with All Might.

Mei shrugged. "Eh... it's a start." She moved towards the front of the cart, ducking under the handlebar in one smooth motion. "Well it was nice meeting you Izuku, I hope to see you around sometime." She gave him a small wave and with a huff she moved forward. The scrap in the back of the wagon lurched backwards, threatening to spill once again. The mask that had captured Izuku's focus tumbled down the pile, landing at the bottom facing Izuku. That eerie smile of it seemed to tug at something in Izuku.

Izuku watched as Mei slowly pulled away from him. He could hear grunts and huffs of breath. She was struggling to keep it rolling. Izuku's eyes darted back to the mask, it's smile triggered a memory within him.

**"I'll always rescue people with a smile!"**

All Might's words rung within the boy's mind.

He couldn't help but resent those words, even if just a little.

How could he not after what he had been through? His hero had sent his world crashing down around him.

Izuku's hands curled into fists, his nails dug painfully into his own flesh. With no more distractions around him, and the mask reminding him of the source of his pain. Izuku's mind drifted back once again into the darkness of his sorrow. The anxiety that filled him before was replaced with a burning in his chest.

Did he hate All Might? Izuku didn't know.

Part of him did. How could the hero who saves people with a smile, and say to go beyond your limits tell Izuku to be bound by his?

But another part of him knew he shouldn't. All Might was just trying to protect him from future disappointment. Izuku couldn't go through life forever hoping he could be a hero, Izuku knew that deep down. It was Izuku's own desperation to be a hero and the illusion that he could be one that staved off the truth. A truth that Izuku knew, but never acknowledged. It was the defense that Izuku put up to defend his own heart and mind. But that couldn't last. Maybe it was for the best that All Might ripped that bandaged quick.

A clattering sound caught the boy's ears.

He snapped out of his own mind long enough to notice that the mask that taunted him had fallen off Mei's wagon. It hit the ground on it's side and rolled towards him, wobbling wildly, but somehow remained rolling. Finally it came to a rest with a small clatter just a meter away from Izuku, the smiling face was facing up. Green eyes stared apprehensively at the mask. All he could see when he saw that smile was All Might. The thought to smash the mask briefly flashed through his mind, so that smile could be broken and stop taunting him.

Instead he slowly walked over and bent down to picked up the mask, his hands were shaking. Why were his hands shaking? He hesitated before wrapping his fingers around the edge, his eyes locked onto the eyes of the mask as he stood up.

**"I'll always rescue people with a smile!"**

The words echoed once again.

He looked up from the mask. The slowly shrinking form of Mei's wagon drew his attention. His eyes darted upwards when he noticed a light shine from above. It was a streetlight, flickering on and off a few times before fully coming on. A realization came over Izuku.

It was going to get dark soon, and he didn't know how far away Mei's home was. She could be caught out alone at night if it was far enough away. And while that didn't assure that something bad would happen, the risk increased significantly.

Would his accident with the wagon cause Mei to be alone at night? Would it cause her to run into trouble that she otherwise would have avoided if not for him?

A lump formed in Izuku's throat. The thought of Mei getting hurt because of his carelessness filled him with dread.

And without even thinking his feet moved, his red sneakers kicking up dust.

He raced towards Mei, his eyes fixated on her cart.

Mei stopped as she heard the sound of footsteps quickly approaching her. A wide smile stretched across her face as Izuku's green hair came into view.

"H-Hey." She breathed. "What's up, forget something?" Sweat dripped down her forehead.

Izuku faltered. He didn't exactly have a prepared response, so it took him a second to think. "I-I noticed that you were having some trouble with cart. I w-was thinking I could help you, It's getting dark out and-and I... wanted to make sure you got home okay." His heart was racing, and not because of the sprint he did to catch up.

Mei's flushed a slight pink as her smile beamed at him. "Aw that's so sweet Izuku." Izuku's heart jolted in his chest as she said his name with such a sweet voice. "Sure I would love the help, I... may have bit off more than I could chew with this haul. I just couldn't help myself."

Izuku couldn't help but smile. "Great!" He placed the smiling mask on the cart and motioned to duck under the bar of the wagon, he stopped when he was hit with a thought.

He was about to be very close to a pretty girl, almost shoulder-to-shoulder. His face grimaced hard as he fought through his own shy and anxious nature. He went under the bar and popped up right next to Mei, who had moved aside to give him room. Izuku's shoulder rubbed against hers, sending goosebumps up his arm.

'Come on Izuku, you can do this.' He tried to calm himself. He let out a deep breath and glanced to Mei. "Ready?" He asked, she nodded and without any words they began their march forward.

Mei definitely wasn't kidding when she said she may have gotten too much. Izuku underestimated just how much force he would need. They were pushing with different amounts of strength, which resulted in a very haphazard start to their march. Thankfully it didn't take long for him to adjust to each other's pace, and now they were moving at a decent pace. Much faster than Mei by herself.

They walked in silence for a little bit, long enough for Izuku's frayed nerves to calm. He glance back at the cart of junk. And it dawned on him that he never asked why Mei had so much junk, and she said "This haul." meaning she's done this more than once, and likely did it often with how casual she said it. Gathering up as much courage as he could muster he decided he needed to sate his curiosity.

"So... Mei-san, why do you have a cart full of junk in the first place? And where did you get it?... if you don't mind me asking that is."

She playfully waved him off. "It's fine. And it's not a cart of junk, it's a cart of treasure awaiting for me to unlock their secrets!" She had a smile so wide Izuku wondered if she had a quirk related to her mouth.

But her words confused him. "Treasures? Secrets? What do you mean?" His curiosity was peaked even greater than before.

Mei let out a hearty laugh. "That's right. Where you see junk, I see treasure. Where you see something useless, I see an potential. All I need is to figure out their secrets and unlock that potential, no matter how small. Nothing is useless, all it takes is Patience, Imagination, and Determination and you'll find it's use. That's what my father always says."

Izuku's green eyes stared at the girl, her words had hit him in a way he wasn't expecting. He felt... warm. He subconsciously smiled. "And where do you get all this?"

"Oh, I get all of it from Dagobah Municipal Beach. Nobody cares if I take anything, and it's a pretty great deal. I get materials for free and the beach gets a tiny bit cleaner."

Izuku nodded understandingly, he'd heard of Dagobah Beach. It use to be a beautiful beach, but over the years trash just accumulated until it was abandoned as a beach and turned into a scrap yard. A shame really.

"So... are you a inventor or something?" Izuku asked.

His words hit the nail on the head as Mei suddenly threw her arms up as if she had just won a competition. Which unfortunatly mean't that Izuku was now pushing the cart by himself. "Yup! Mei: The Inventor! That's who I am! And once I graduate from UA the whole world will know who I am!"

The mention of UA surprised Izuku, though when he thought about it it really shouldn't. Everyone wanted to get into UA, the premiere Hero school. Most of it's graduates went on to become great heroes. It was where Izuku wanted to go, though that dream would have to be shelved. The thought of not attending UA really dampened his mood, not that he would show it in front of Mei.

"S-So. You a student at UA?" He asked innocently, though slightly strained as he was still pushing the cart by himself. Thankfully Mei seemed to realize she wasn't pushing anymore and corrected that mistake, much to Izuku's relief.

She shook her head. "Nope, not yet anyways. I'll be doing the entrance exam in ten months. But I'll get in, and that'll be the first step to my dream!" Mei had such confidence, such assured focus in her ability to get in it honestly surprised Izuku. He'd never seen this much in someone his age other than Bakugo. Only Mei seemed to not let her confidence get to her ego unlike the explosive teen.

"Wow Mei-san, I'm impressed at how much confidence you have. I'm sure you'll make a great hero." He smiled, his words were genuine. Even if he couldn't get in, he was still happy that other people could chase their dreams. To his shock though, Mei shook her head. "Nope, I'm not planning on being a hero. I'm going into the Support Class, that way I can get access to better materials and make even better babies."

Izuku's eyes widened with shock. "But what about your quirk, why don't you want to be a hero?"

Mei seemed surprised. "Oh... Well my quirk isn't something special, definitely not suited for hero work. My quirk is called ZOOM, lets my eyes zoom in like a telescope. If I try hard enough I can see as far as five kilometers, but that usually gives me a major headache. Plus with my work I don't need to zoom in that much anyway."

Izuku understood now, her quirk was utilitarian in nature. Much like a lot of people who worked in the public sector. Quirks that were highly specific to one task. Still, it hurt him to hear her call her quirk nothing special. He would give anything to have even a utility quirk like hers.

"Nothing special? I think it's a great quirk, would be extremely useful on a hero team. You could act like a coordinator, observing a situation and relaying it to your other teammates. And you could do it from a safe distance, far enough that most villains wouldn't be able to notice you or even do anything about it. And quirk like that would be unbelievably powerful in the hands of a marksman like Gunhead or Snipe."

As Izuku rambled like he always did when he got interested in a quirk he didn't notice Mei looking at him intently. He listed off all of the benefits of a quirk like hers, and as he did Mei felt a warmness in her cheeks that she couldn't really explain. She didn't feel sick, and it was fairly cool out. But listening him praise her made her feel... good.

"So what about you Izuku, what's your quirk?" She asked so innocently, so casually.

Izuku was so caught up in his quirk rambling that he didn't catch what she said. "S-Sorry, I was too distracted. What did you say?"

"No big deal. Anyway, I asked what your quirk is."

Her question hit Izuku hard, very hard. It was a question he was use to hearing whenever he met someone new. But after what had happened today those simple and innocent words felt like a dagger to his heart. His expression dropped and he turned away from Mei, hanging his head low. Mei for her part was confused. She could be a bit oblivious sometimes, she knew that. Especially when she was hard at work on a baby. But even she noticed Izuku's sudden drop in mood. And she couldn't understand why. Her question was simple, easy. It's not like his quirk was dangerous or deadly.

Could it?

It would explain his sudden mood swing. A naturally dangerous quirk would definitely cause someone to be reluctant to share it. Or maybe it was an embarrassing one. "Uh... Izuku. You okay?" Her voice full of concern.

Hearing his name caused the boy to snap out of whatever haze he'd sunk into.

"Y-Yeah it's... just-" He trailed off. He glanced over to Mei, her odd yellow eyes were focused right on him. "It's not easy to talk about, it's a... sensitive subject." He lied, he had to lie. Too many times he'd told people and they'd have one of two reactions. People were either sympathetic or antagonistic after learning his secret, more often it was the latter that was the case. He'd just met Mei, and while she seemed nice he didn't know how she felt about quirkless people. He didn't want to lose a potential friend so quickly.

So he lied, and he hated it.

Mei seemed to believe him and nodded understandingly. "I understand, I won't bring it up again unless you want to talk about it." She smiled and her voice was chipper, trying to lighten the mood. Izuku's shoulders relaxed slightly and he let out a long breath, relieved that he'd dodged a bullet. At least for the time being.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, the awkwardness of the quirk conversation had gone. It was just the two of them and the ambient sounds of the city. With such a calm atmosphere Izuku finally felt at peace for the first time today. While deep down his heart still ached, and would for some time. The existential dread that had it's icy grip around him had gone, and he could relax somewhat. He tried his best to force out any thoughts of what happened earlier, he wanted this peace in his mind to last as long as possible.

That peace didn't last long with Mei around.

"Ah! We're almost to my house, not much further." She pointed forwards towards the end of a side street. There sat a very nice house, not extravagant, but definitely not a middle class house. What surprised Izuku even more however was what was behind the house. A massive warehouse that was at least twice as tall and wide as the house, he didn't even want to know how long it was.

"Whoa." He quietly breathed out. He couldn't believe something so massive and industrial was sitting right behind such a high-end house. His mind raced with what could be inside. For all he knew there was a giant mech or robots.

As they made their way down the street and got closer and closer to the colossal building Izuku suddenly felt very small. Smaller than usual anyway. "Ah! Finally home, and before dark too." Mei beamed. She was right, there was just enough sunlight left. Izuku felt a sense of pride within himself, he'd gotten her home safely as he hoped. He may not have been a dashing hero, and it may not have been dangerous. But it was right, and that's all that mattered.

"We'll bring the cart around back to the workshop, I've got a spot where we can unload this haul." She was positively giddy, bouncing on the soles of her feet like an impatient child. "I need to get to my workshop now!" And with renewed motivation and vigor Mei put every ounce of strength she had to push the cart faster, leaving Izuku more than a little stunned. He doubled his efforts as to not let Mei do the rest of the pushing alone.

As the two of them got closer Izuku noticed there was a downhill incline behind the house that lead to the warehouse. Next to him Mei pulled out a small device with a single button, with a press the shudder door of the warehouse started to open.

As soon as they hit the incline they really started to pick up speed. The two were practically racing to the warehouse, moving as fast as they could. Maybe too fast though! As they neared the large warehouse door Izuku suddenly remembered what momentum was at that moment. They were moving a very heavy cart at a quick pace, the laws of physics told him that it wasn't going to be fun slowing down. "M-Mei we should slow down, we're gonna crash!" The wild smile that was spread across Mei's face was replaced with a dreadful realization. They tried their hardest to slow the cart down but it was of little use. The cart gained so much speed that they couldn't keep up and had to jump up on the front of the cart to avoid getting run over. There was absolutely no way to stop the cart now.

"BAIL!" Izuku shouted.

With little time to think Izuku wrapped an arm around Mei's waist and heaved the two of them off to the side of the cart. He wrapped his other arm around her as they flew through the air. Izuku used the momentum to spin himself just enough so that he would hit the ground first instead of Mei. The boy's body shuddered with pain as his upper back slammed into the ground, all of the air was knocked out of his lungs. A terrifying crash could be heard as the cart slammed into the interior of the warehouse. Clattering metal, breaking glass, and snapping plastic in a cacophony of noise.

Izuku's world was dark as he kept his eyes close. He held onto Mei as tight as he could, with one hand on the back of her head, pressing her face into his chest to protect her head as they rolled across the ground. They finally came to a rest in a patch of cool grass. They stayed still for a moment, the only sound they could hear now were each others labored breathing and racing hearts. The boy opened his eyes and his vision spun. The emerging stars in the sky swirled around. He was beyond dizzy. His mind was frazzled and he felt a slight nausea. He unwrapped his arms from Mei, and placed a hand over his mouth in case he vomited. He closed his eyes again, hoping that would alleviate some of his dizziness.

As Izuku's world stopped spinning he became more and more acutely aware that Mei was on top of him. His slow realization put him into a cold sweat, and his face was red and hot. He tried to look down at her and saw that she was also covering her mouth, likely for the same reason he did. Her eyes were lazily half-lidded, and were darting around in micro-movements. A clear sign her vision was spinning.

"Y-Y-You okay Mei?" Izuku asked in a slightly slurred tone, completely forgetting to add the honorific at the end. She was quite for a moment before her eyes widened and she threw her torso up, with her arms outstretched to the sky. "Woohoo!" She howled. "Ah that was great!" Her sudden jubilation was quickly ended as she covered her mouth, her nausea flared up again. After managing to keep the contents of her stomach where they belonged she let out a deep sigh and fell back onto Izuku's chest, her arms folded under her her own chest to keep her somewhat elevated. Unfortunately for Izuku this had the duel effect of knocking some of the wind out of the boy, and sending him into another nervous fit as he was now becoming intimately aware that Mei was a very... developed young woman. It didn't help that her black tank-top was a low cut.

"Oh man was that a rush! Haven't felt anything like that since I tested out my jet pack prototype!" She playfully patted his chest till she noticed Izuku's flustered face. Her head tilted playfully to the side, covering part of her face in dreads. "You okay Izuku..." She was saying that a lot today, the thought made her giggle. Izuku for his part had his head turned away, trying in vain to hide at least some of his embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine. Just shaken is all." Mei seemed satisfied with that answer and sat back up, straddling Izuku's hips. Izuku hoped to God that nobody saw them in such a... provocative position. Mei seemed too oblivious or didn't care about the situation.

With a grunt she finally pulled herself off the flustered boy and stepped to the side. She outstretched a hand, a warm smile on her face. Izuku couldn't help but let out a small laugh as his hand latched onto hers and she pulled him up. "This is the second time today you've picked me up off the ground." That earned him a chuckle from the girl.

"Yeah I guess so." She tightened her grip on his hand and turned her attention to the the warehouse. "Come on! I want you to see my workshop!" And without even giving Izuku a chance to protest Mei ran off with him in tow.

To say that the warehouse was massive was an understatement. As the two of them stood in front of the open building Izuku stared onward in a childlike wonder. Large piles of scrap littered both sides of the immediate entrance. Everything from hand radios, to cars that were in the process of being stripped. He even saw what looked to be a jet engine. In one of the piles was Mei's cart, half buried in junk from the impact. Not that Mei seemed to care as she pulled him further along. As they passed the cart something caught his eye. That smile, that mask that couldn't seem to leave him be was there. In the pile and seemingly undamaged by the crash.

But the smiling mask was quickly put out of mind as his eyes darted over the walls. Various machinery, gadgets, and equipment was hung from the walls, rafters, and cranes. All in various states of completion.

Mei finally stopped when they reached a clearing, she let go of his hand and jumped in front of him. "Welcome to my workshop!" She yelled dramatically, jumping in the air with her arms out. Izuku slowly turned around and soaked in the machinery around him. "Wow... this is incredible Mei-san! All of this is your work?"

Her smile ever present as she shook her head. "No not all of it, some of it's my dad's work. But he's so busy these days so I usually have the whole workshop to myself."

Izuku noticed that when she mentioned her dad being busy her face noticeably shifted, her smile not as wide. Izuku felt a pang of sympathy for Mei, he knew what it felt like to have a busy dad. "So... is your dad an inventor too?" He asked.

"Yeah, he works for a big Hero Support company called Rising Sun Support. He's one of their lead designers, he helps make gear for lots of high-profile Heroes. He's even worked on a couple of All Might's suits." Her voice was full of pride, it was obvious she idolized her father.

Izuku couldn't help but be amazed. "Oh wow, that's awesome. He must be an incredible inventor to get to work with so many pros."

Mei seemed to glow at the praise Izuku gave her father. "He's the greatest! He's my main inspiration for going into the Support Class at UA. And when I graduate I'm going to get to work right beside him."

Izuku could hear the conviction in her voice, but what bothered him were her eyes. He saw the glint of a small tear in her eye. Mei seemed to notice her tear as well and spun around and walk over to a nearby table, wiping her eye as she did. Izuku wanted to ask if she was alright, but maybe it wasn't the right time. She returned a moment later with a device in her hands, it looked like some sort of grenade which immediately put Izuku on edge. "This is my prototype Goo-Grenade. Toss this baby at bad buy's feet and BAM! He's stuck to the ground. Or throw it at a weak structure and watch as it holds together crumbling concrete, allowing precious time to escape before collapse!"

Izuku's eyes sparkled with glee. "That's awesome Mei, with so many uses I'm sure it'll be super popular with heroes." Then a thought struck him. "But if it's a prototype, what's the problem?" His question made Mei's face drop slightly, which tug at heart. Her eyes drifted down to the device in her hand. "Oh... um... well I can't seem to get the triggering mechanism to function properly. Every time I test it the goo inside clogs the holes used to deploy the goo and then barely anything comes out." She idly fiddled with the grenade in her hands, turning it over and running her fingers over some parts. Izuku glanced down to it and back to her, then back to the device. "Let me see it... if that's okay?" Handed it to him without a word. The green headed boy inspected the device, turning it every which way to look at it from all angles. "Mind if I use your goggles?"

Mei smiled. "Sure." She slipped her goggles off and helped put them on Izuku, adjusting the straps so that it would fit him comfortably. The first thing that Izuku noticed as he looked through the goggles was how much they magnified his vision to a ridiculous degree. He could see his fingerprints in such weird detail. Mei noticed him staring at his hands and turned a couple of dials on the headgear and they zoomed out to a more manageable degree.

"Thanks." He said with a smile.

He went back to his task. Using his new found eyesight he checked the nozzles that the goo would shoot out of when the device was thrown. Caps covered the nozzles, and taking one off he could see clearly inside. It seemed there was a spring loaded four-way valve that would twist open when the pin was pulled. Then he looked at the nozzles themselves. They were rifled like a gun barrel, most likely to cause the substance inside to spin as it shot out. As he looked over the rifling he noticed that the grooves in the barrel was cut rather close together. A thought struck his head. "Mei... I'm looking at the rifling in the nozzles, and I'm wondering. Are the barrels hydrophobic treated?" Mei perked up at his words. "Yeah, the plan was to make them hydrophobic so the goo wouldn't stick to the insides. But for some reason it's still sticking."

"Hm... were they coated before or after you rifled them?" He calmly asked.

He didn't get a response right off, at least not a verbal one. All he heard was the smacking sound of shin hitting skin. Concerned Izuku pulled up the googles and looked towards Mei. She had her head down and her hands covered her eyes. She let out a long and annoyed groan. "Oh come on... ugh. How did I mess up something so simple?" She looked up at the boy, looking defeated. "I rifled them after getting them coated, which means that the goo must be sticking to the grooves of the rifling which is clogging up the mechanism."

Izuku handed her back her goggles and the grenade. "Don't beat yourself up Mei, after all now that you know the problem it'll be an easy fix."

Mei's solemn face turned determined as she strapped her goggles back on. "You're right Izuku, no time for self-pity when there is work to be done!" She began to turn when she heard the sound of a cellphone going off. The sound stunned Izuku until he realized that it was his own phone. He pulled it out and his first reaction was relief that it didn't get destroyed in the fall from the cart.

His second reaction was much more grim, it was the curfew alarm. If he wasn't home in an hour he'd get in big trouble if he was caught by the police out after dark. He bolted for the warehouse opening. "Sorry Mei I gotta run, I can't be out after curfew!"

Mei chased after him and called out. "Izuku wait, I can help!"

The boy stopped at the entrance, allowing Mei to catch up. "I can get you home quickly, just come with me." She grabbed his hand and lead him back up the incline leading back to the front of the house and towards the garage attached to the house. She let go of his hand and quickly pulled out a set of keys, which she fumbled with until she found the right one. Mei bolted over to the house door yelling back. "Wait here!"

Izuku just stood there slightly stunned as he watched her enter the house. He could actually get a sense of where she was in the house by the lights coming on in various windows. After a minute he noticed the light in the garage turn on as light escaped the bottom of the garage door. Then he hear the muffled sound of an engine starting and he instantly went on edge, he didn't like where this was going. The garage door slowly opened to reveal Mei sitting on a yellow moped bike, a black sticker with a white letter 'P' and exclamation point slapped crooked on the front. She wore a half-cap motorcycle helmet with goggles and in her hand was a matching set of goggles and helmet.

"Get on!" she yelled over the rumbling of the engine. Izuku trotted over with a nervous look on his face. "You sure about this, do you even have a licence!?"

Mei smiled wildly. "I've got a permit!"

Izuku sighed, it was a no both ways. He looked at the time on his phone, he knew he'd never make it back on foot and the last subway train to his stop was done for the night. With great reservation he took the helmet and goggles, much to Mei's delight. With the helmet and goggles on he saddled himself on the back of the moped. "Better hold on tight, this baby's got juice." She revved the engine to make her point. "Oh boy." The nervous boy whispered. This mean't that he'd have to wrap his arms around her waist.

Balling his hands into fists Izuku gathered up as much courage has he could muster and quickly wrapped his arms around Mei's waist. His chest rested up against her back, his first thought was that she felt quite warm, the second was that he couldn't believe this was about to happen.

"Alright lets go!" Mei yelled as the rocketed off into the night.

It took every ounce of energy and will that Izuku had to keep his eyes open and attention on the road in front of them. He had to tell where to turn after all, she had no idea where he lived. Which made it more insane that she rocketed down the street before even knowing where they were going.

Still though they were making good progress, if only due to the fact that Mei drove like a bat out of hell. Izuku counted himself lucky that she at least obeyed every other traffic law other than the speed limit. After about twenty-five minutes they were about three blocks from his house when he saw the distinct shape and color of a police cruiser. Izuku got nervous, if they got pulled over they would find out that Mei only had a permit. They'd both get in big trouble, but Mei would get it worse. "Mei! Slow down there's a cop!"

"No problem!" She yelled back. She took a hard left and roared down a side alley, bypassing the cop. Izuku screamed the entire time as they dodged around trash cans, dumpsters, and a few parked cars before somehow emerging on the other side. Izuku had a vice-grip hold on Mei as she drifted the moped around a corner, heading straight back in the direction of his home.

After making sure he was still alive Izuku relaxed, but still maintained his iron grip on Mai's waist. "Please don't do that again!" He pleaded. Mei let out a wild laughter in return, she was having a blast.

Finally after a few more minutes the came to a easy stop in front of Izuku's apartment building. The moped's engine died with a sputter as Mei shut it off. Her passenger shakily got off the back, at last able to remove his hands from around her. His fingered ached from the strain of holding on. He wobbled a bit, his legs felt like jelly. When he felt stable enough he took off his helmet and goggles and set them on the seat. "T-Thanks for the ride Mei-san."

She giggled. "No problem, it's the least I could do after all you did for me today. You were my Hero Izuku." A smile grew on her face, a warm and gentle smile. "Yup, my own personal Hero."

Izuku felt his heart skip a beat.

Hero.

She really called him a hero... her hero.

Someone actually called him a hero.

"H-H-Hero? No, I'm n-no hero. I was just doing what was right. I can't be a hero." He said shyly. His heart was leaping with joy at being called a hero. But his own modest nature, and self-doubt made him want to reject it. It felt wrong, but he couldn't help it.

Mei shook her head in defiance of his claim. "No really Izuku, you really were my hero. With out you I'd never have gotten home before dark. Not to mention you saving me from the cart crash, and finding the flaw in my grenade. You can be a hero, and you are. You're my hero Izuku, and I won't let you say otherwise."

The Hero was stunned.

Was this really happening?

Tears started to well up in his eyes, he quickly dashed them away. "T-Thanks Mei, you don't know how much that means to me." The girl smiled warmly back at him. "You're welcome." She paused for a moment before pulling out her cellphone with one hand, and reaching out to him with the other. "Let me see your phone." She asked. Izuku complied and handed her his phone, he was kind of embarrassed seeing that she had a nice modern one and his was a older model. "I'm exchanging numbers with you, so I can call you when ever." Mei said sweetly.

Izuku was taken back slightly. "Why?"

She laughed. "Because I want to talk to you silly! I also want you to come over again some time, I've got so many more babies I want to show you and for you to help with. That okay?" She looked up from both of the phone screens.

Izuku was confused for a moment when she mention babies, until he made the connection that by 'babies' she mean't her inventions. "Sure, I'd love to. I actually wanted to stay and see more, but... the curfew."

Mei smiled wildly. "Awesome!" Tomorrow's Saturday so why don't you come over. Anytime is fine by the way. I'm gonna be in my workshop all day, so just pop in when ever. But the sooner the better okay?"

Izuku nodded. "Sounds great, I'll be over after breakfast then."

Mei looked absolutely delighted. "Great, the sooner you get to my place the sooner we can make babies together!"

The green haired boy's face went completely red. The rational part of his brain knew what she meant by 'making babies'. But the other parts of his brain went into near panic at her phrasing. He suddenly found his phone gently shoved into his chest. "Here, I've got your number and you've got mine." Izuku grabbed the phone and checked the Contacts for her number. Sure enough there was her name.

[Mei Hatsume3]

The heart at the end of her name wasn't helping his already flustered face. He swallowed down his anxiety and nodded. "Alright. I guess i'll you tomorrow then. Good night Mei-san."

The moped's engine roared to life and mei draped the spare helmet and goggles off the handlebars. "See you tomorrow Hero!" And with one final wave goodbye Mei sped off into the night. He stood there on the sidewalk until he couldn't hear the sound of her moped anymore. He turned around to the apartment, and looking back down at Mei's number in his phone he smiled.

"I'm a Hero huh?"

For the first time since his fateful meeting with All Might Izuku let his tears fall. No more holding them back. Tears rained down from his eyes, some splashing on the screen of his phone. He covered his mouth as he let out a sob.

Mei's words replayed in his mind over and over.

"You can be a hero, and you are. You're my hero Izuku, and I won't let you say otherwise."

His right leg gave out and he fell to one knee. All his life he'd waited for someone, anyone to call him a hero. And he hoped that All Might would've been the one.

But he wasn't.

Instead it was a girl he'd never met before.

A girl that he'd known for only a few hours.

She said he could be a hero, he was a hero to her.

Izuku wiped his tears and stood up strong for the first time in what felt like ages.

A new fire of hope had been lit in his heart.

Someday... he would be a hero to all. He would find a way, no matter what.


	2. Black Fox

Ch.2 Black Fox

Green eyes sprung open and a sharp inhale of breath shattered a death-like silence. The eyes darted around, desperate to find, to understand what was happening. The boy behind the eyes scanned for anything, only to find that a empty room surrounded. Four grey concrete walls surrounded him, and he became distressingly aware there were no doors or windows. A single source of light, a small lamp in the middle of the room gave the boy some sense of safety. He stood up, confused and nervous.

Drawn to the lamp like a moth the boy kept surveying the room, there was absolutely nothing else besides the lamp on the table. Or so he thought, because as he neared the lamp an object seemed to phase into reality, forming from static as if being transported from a old TV screen. As it came into focus he saw a round smiling mask staring back at him. The green-eyed boy knew this mask, but why was it here? Where was 'here' exactly? No doors, no windows, it didn't make any sense.

**"Don't worry, you're quite safe here."** A distorted feminine voice called out. A cold sweat broke out on the boy as he spun around, looking for the source. **"I see you found my mask, it's been... a long time since I've seen that smile."** The voice said again. The boy desperately tried to find the voice, but grey walls where all he found. **"You won't find me, at least not until I let you find me."** A dark giggle echoed through the room. **"And that'll only happen if you're drive to be a hero remains strong." **

"Hero?" The boy finally found his voice, calling out to the stranger.

**"Maybe some day boy, that all depends on you however."** The voice came from his right, his head jerked to face it. And for a spit second he thought he caught a shadow moving out of the corner of his eye. A distorted giggle raced past him, as if someone had just ran by.

"W-Who are you." The boy asked. Sweat dripped from his brow and his heart was racing. He had no idea if this voice was a threat. Her evil giggling didn't help either.

The dark chuckle came again, surrounding him from all sides. **"Patience boy, You'll get that answer eventually... maybe."** The clacking of footsteps behind him made his hair stand on end. He hating being toyed with.

**"But for now it's time to wake up, but before you go. Here's a few words of advice... follow the Fox." **The voice whispered right into his ear, as if she was right over his shoulder. The boy spun around, only to come face-to-face with the smiling mask. **"Follow the Fox."** The voice whispered again, coming from the mask. A dark purple miasma poured out from behind the mask, seeping down to the floor and quickly spreading across the room. **"Follow the Fox."** The gas started to fill the room, quickly rising. An emergency alarm started to blare, the lamp in the center of the room flashed red and white. The boy panicked and backed away from the mask, covered his nose and mouth with his shirt. **"Follow the Fox."** The gas passed over him and he institutionally held his breath. But the gas still got to him, his mind began to haze and his vision blurred. The smiling mask quickly became three masks, then four, then five. As eyes began to close he fought to keep them open to no avail. Before darkness took him he heard the voice one last time.

**"Follow the Fox."**

Suddenly his eyes shot open again, as if someone had just slapped him awake. Izuku shot up from his bed, breathing labored and sweat pouring down his face. He looked around in a panic,expecting to see the smiling mask once again. But no, it wasn't there. Neither was the grey concrete room either. It was his room he was surrounded by, the four walls of his bedroom he had for as long as he could remember. All Might memorabilia dotting the walls and all. It was only when he realized this, that he was safe did he calm down. His breathing slowed and his heart eased, the thudding of his own heartbeat in his ears replaced with the harsh sound of his All Might alarm clock next to his bed. With a shaky hand he slammed the off button, finally bringing silence back to the room.

Izuku sat there in his bed for a few minutes trying to process what just happened. He looked down to his hands, flexing his fingers. "It... was just a dream?" He asked nobody. "It felt so real." But it couldn't have been, it wasn't possible, he knew this. He remembered walking inside his apartment, he remembered the worried look on his mother's face as he walked in. He remembered going to bed. It was all just a dream, a very vivid dream.

"Follow the Fox." That sentence was burst into his mind, as if burned in like a cattle brand.

What did it mean? It mean't nothing... it was just a dream he told himself. Nothing more, just a dream brought on by that mask that grabbed his attention so much last night. Dreams were often a reflection of ones thoughts that day, so it wasn't any real surprise he would dream about it.

The more and more he rationalized his dream, the more Izuku became at ease. "Just a dream." He told himself.

With the anxiety in his system gone Izuku got out of bed, he really needed to take a shower after waking up drenched in sweat.

After a nice hot shower he got dressed and headed to the kitchen, where he found his mother making breakfast with a smile on her face. She hummed a tune as bacon sizzled on the stove-top. "Good morning Mom." He called out to her. Inko's head gently turned towards him. "Good morning to you too Izuku. Breakfast will be ready soon." She replied with that warm motherly tone. Izuku nodded and headed for the living room and turned on the TV, switching channels till he got to the news.

He caught the tail end of a shoe commercial which transitioned into the news, he was just in time. A news woman with braided green hair and several small horns on her forehead came on screen. "Welcome back everyone. It's that time again, our roundup of yesterday's exciting hero news!" The screen switched to a news helicopter camera following a high speed chase. "The newest Pro-Hero Sonic Boom made his first villain arrest yesterday morning, taking down a villain known as The Bear, as he tried to flee from the scene of a robbery." The camera cut to a scene of Sonic Boom racing down the street in a blue blur before jumping on top of the moving car, then ripping off the hood and yanking the battery out of the car. With no battery the car lost speed until police moved in and boxed the villain car in. The Bear jumped out of the windshield, trying to tackle Sonic Boom. But the blue speedster was just too fast, easily jumping out of the way before landing a knock out blow against the villain. When the footage cut to the next story Izuku almost felt himself get sick.

There on screen was the Sludge villain that nearly killed him yesterday. His body shuddered as the awful memory resurfaced in his mind in excruciating detail. The gross smell, his limbs trapped, the snot-like slime slithering through his body. Nausea swept over him briefly until the image changed back to the reporter. "Our next story is once again about the Number One Hero: All Might. Yesterday afternoon All Might defeated a villain known only as Sludge after he terrorized several city blocks after taking control of the body of a young boy. Thankfully All Might was able to defeat the monster and save the boy. The name of the victim is not being released at this ti-"

Izuku turned the TV off, he didn't want to hear anymore of that story, it just brought up to many painful memories.

He sighed, maybe it was for the best though.

A muffled chime came from his pocket, he pulled out his phone. The sound mean't he had unread texts. As he pulled up his messages he was pleasantly shocked to see he had gotten a few from Mei. What was concerning was that she texted him at three in the morning.

From: Mei-Hatsume3

[Hey Hero, just wondering if you wanna talk.]

[Hello?]

[Helloooo?]

[Oh right you're probably asleep.]

[Just wanted to let you know I fixed the issue with the goo grenade.]

[First test was a success (hey that rhymed a little) the goo deploys as it should. But I'd like you to be here to help with further testing. Plus I have another baby I'm working on.]

[See you soon Hero. :D]

Izuku's cheek's were a light shade of pink, her calling him Hero was a tad embarrassing. He quickly typed a response, just to let her know he saw her texts and would be over after breakfast as he promised. Putting away his phone he walked into the kitchen just as his mother was setting down two plates of food. Both had a couple of pancakes, some light butter and syrup. Izuku had several slices of bacon on the side while his mother had apple slices. His mom was trying to watch her weight it seemed. Inko greeted him with a warm smile.

"Good timing Izuku, I was just about to call you."

The green-haired boy sat himself down, eager to dig in. "Thanks mom, these pancakes look great!"

His mother giggled softly. "Oh you're welcome Izuku." The two ate in comfortable silence, it really help ease his mind off the news about the Sludge villain incident. Not to mention what happened just after All Might dealt with the monster. But still, he couldn't help but think back to his meeting on that rooftop with All Might. His brows unconsciously furrowed as he remembered that bizarre skeletal form that All Might had. Was that what his hero really looked like? It was hard to believe, but it was true. It was honestly a scary thought that under that perfectly chiseled god-like physic.

Was a man that looked like he belonged in a hospital.

He let those thoughts fade away as he finished his meal, it's not like he'd ever get to ask All Might about it. Even if he did the hero would probably refuse to answer. With his plate clean of food he got up to wash it, as to save his mother some work. And with a full belly he felt like he was ready, he wondered what Mei had up her sleeve. He had to admit he was really excited to see her other projects, he wished he could have seen more last night. With his day set he went back to his room and grabbed his backpack and a few blank notebooks. Normally these would be used for hero and quirk profiles, but if he was going to be helping Mei it would be a good idea to jot down notes. Plus he wanted to brainstorm some ideas about how each gadget could be used in hero work.

With his pack set, his clothes fresh, and a smile on his face Izuku made his way to the front door. "I'm going out mom, I'll be back this afternoon." He slipped on his red sneakers and tied them good and tight. As he did the sound of heavy footsteps came towards him, it was of course his mother. She had a mild look of concern on her face, not that he could blame her after coming home with barely any time to spare before curfew. "Where are you going sweetie?"

He straightened out one last lace and stood up. "Oh I'm just heading over to a friend's house, gonna hang out for the day." His answer didn't seem to ease Inko Midoriya's concern, but she trusted her son. He was a good and honest boy. But going over to a friend's house? Now she loved her son, but the cold truth was that Izuku had no friends. There was Bakugo, but she would hardly consider him a friend, even if her son said otherwise. She'd seen Bakugo's explosive temper and she didn't like the idea of Izuku being around him.

And now, out of the blue Izuku was going over to a friend's. Someone she hadn't met and didn't know. But again she trusted her son, so she would allow this for the time being. "Alright, just make sure you keep your cellphone on and text me when you get there." Izuku nodded and placed his hand on the knob, ready to open it when his mother chimed in again. "Oh and make sure you text me when you're on your way home, and before you get on the subway and when you get off. Just in case there's another problem with the subway like last night."

Anxiety hit Izuku. "Y-Yeah, no problem mom." He wanted to slap himself. He hated lieing to his mother. But there was no way he could have told her about what happened with the sludge villain, All Might, or his afternoon with Mei. He was afraid she'd faint, in fact he knew she would faint. So he lied, said the train broke down and that's why he was so late.

He twisted the knob and made his way out the door. "Gotta go mom, I don't want to keep her waiting." And with those final words and a thud from the door closing after him Izuku was off.

Inko smiled, at least a little happy that Izuku found a friend. She turned away from the door to finish her morning chores before she suddenly stopped. A thought shot through her mind as she realized what Izuku had said. She softly covered her mouth and a quiet gasp escaped her.

"...Her?"

Little did Izuku know he would have quite the explanation to give his mother later

But that was the future, and right now Izuku raced to the subway station. Making his way through the crowds was tough, as everyone was going about their own plans for Saturday. With great luck he managed to snag a seat on the crowded train. He hated having to stand, it always made him nervous that someone was going to do something to him. Thankfully though this trip was an uneventful one, and within fifteen minutes he was already at his stop. With equal difficulty he squeezed his way off the train car and made his way to the surface. It took him some time to get his bearings as he had to remember exactly where Mei's house was. He cursed himself for forgetting to ask for it. But by pulling open a map app on his phone and finding Dagobah Beach, then retracing he and Mei's trip to her house he managed to figure out exactly where she was in relation to him.

Thankfully she wasn't that far away.

He texted her that he was on his way, though he didn't get a reply back.

After a ten minute walk he got to her street, the massive warehouse looking just as imposing as it did last night. With a quickened step he made his way down to Mei's workshop in no time. The massive garage door was closed, but thankfully the side entrance was unlocked. He had to force the door open slightly as junk was blocking the door on the inside. He managed to squeeze through, he'd have to warn Mei about the dangers of having an exit blocked like that.

He passed by the two massive piles of junk and scrap, the cart from last night was still firmly embedded within one of them. And just as it was last night that smiling mask still sat where it had been.

"Follow the Fox."

That sentence echoed through his mind. His arms had goosebumps as he remembered the creepy voice from his dream.

He shook his head, determined to get that nightmare out of his mind. Me casually made his way to the back of the warehouse to Mei's personal workshop. Stepping over and around random junk that littered the floor. When he actually got to the clearing that was her area he didn't see the pink-haired girl around at all. "Mei-san!" He called out, his hand cupped around his mouth to make his voice louder.

"Up here!" Her voice called out, echoing through the large building. Izuku looked up and he could have sworn his heart leaped out of his chest.

Mei was dangling from one arm about seven meters off the ground, suspended by a wire that was coming from a gauntlet around the arm she was handing from. "Oh my god Mei are you okay!" He yelled in a panic. Incredibly Mei didn't seemed to be distressed in any way . "Yeah I'm fine... my arm's really sore though. Been hanging here for like ten minutes!"

No wonder Izuku never got a reply when he texted her. "How did you get up there!?" Izuku asked as he searched desperately for some sort of ladder or tool that he could use to get her down. "I was testing my Grapple Gauntlet here, shot out and embedded into the ceiling just fine!I pulled myself up but the pulley system got stuck, I can't go up or can't go down!"

Izuku racked his brain trying to find a way to get her down. Catch her? No that wouldn't work, the odds of him catching her cleanly from such a height is low. Not to mention the injuries they'd both sustain. A ladder wouldn't work she was suspended right in the middle of the ceiling, there was nothing for the top of the ladder to rest on. And that's if he could find a ladder tall enough anyways. He could call the fire department, but she could fall in the time it took them to get here. He let out a aggravated sigh. "Mei! Is there anything I can use to get to you!?"

Mei, still hanging there casually as if her life wasn't in mortal danger. She put her free hand to her mouth, pondering at ideas for a solution. Her face lit up as a idea struck, maybe she could kill two birds with one stone. "Use the other gauntlet, it's on the table to your right! Use it to get up here, grab me, then I can release the grappling claw from the roof. Then you lower us down, easy!"

Izuku was a little more than troubled by her plan, it sounded insane. "Are you sure about that!? What if the second gauntlet gets stuck too!? We'd both be seven meters up with no way of getting down!" He really didn't like this.

Mei just laughed. "It'll be fine, worst comes to worst we just call the fire department. But I'd rather avoid that, they already get enough calls from me as is." She laughed again. That sentence did not fill Izuku with any confidence. She has to regularly call the fire department? Just who was this girl he'd made friends with? He walked over to the table with the gauntlet. It was kind of on the larger side, probably due to having to contain the grapple wire. He slipped it onto his left arm, that way he'd have his stronger dominant right arm free to grab Mei. He tightened the straps around the underside to an almost painful degree, he didn't want his arm slipping out of this thing seven meters up. Flexing his hand and arm with the gauntlet he noticed it was surprisingly light despite it's somewhat bulky design.

He walked back over to the center of the room, about a meter parallel to Mei. If he was going to be shooting this thing straight up he needed to make sure the grapple claw didn't hit Mei. He looked up to the dangling girl. "Are you really sure about this Mei!?"

She craned her neck down to see him. "It'll be fine Izuku, trust me." She sounded so sure, so positive that everything would be fine. Izuku wished he had her confidence. He stared at the ceiling, his whole body shaking from anxiety. He slapped his cheeks and bounced in placed. "Come on, come on Izuku you can do this!" He told himself in at least some effort to psych himself up. He took some deep breaths and raised his left arm up, pointing it as straight as he could. "Alright, how do I launch the grappling claw!?"

"Flex your wrist down, and press the small red button on the right side near your thumb!" she yelled back down to him. She quietly groaned to herself, her arm was killing her. "Okay!" And with one final deep breath Izuku flexed his wrist and pressed the button. The claw shot off instantaneously, whizzing through the air at an insane speed. He had strain to keep his arm straight due to the recoil from the gauntlet. And with a echoing clang the claw latched it's self onto the ceiling. Izuku gave it a few solid tugs, and lifted his body off the ground to test and make sure the line would hold his weight. Mei let out cheer and gave him a thumbs up with her free hand. "Excellent! Now press the green arrow near the back of the gauntlet, when you get to me press it again to stop! Press the blue arrow next to it to lower us down after you grab me! And what ever you do, do not press the red button that fire's the claw again! It will detach the claw!"

Izuku gulped, this was the moment of truth. With a hesitant hand he pressed the green arrow and he rose up, somewhat quickly too. His stomach felt like it was doing flips as he acceded and his heart was racing. Soon enough he was nearing Mei and when he got even with her he pressed the green arrow again.

And there they were, two teens dangling from one arm each seven meters in the air and one meter apart. Slightly swaying from side to side, like a pair of human wind-chimes. "Hey." Said Mei almost jokingly. "H-Hey." Izuku replied, he didn't really know how else to respond to that. Izuku took a few more deep breaths to keep himself calm. "Okay... Okay. S-So you're gonna gently swing over here, and I'll catch you. T-Then we detach the claw and we go down. Simple right?"

Mei gave him an affirmative nod. She put her feet together and slowly began swinging back and forth, gaining momentum. Izuku had his arm outstretched, ready to catch her when she got close. Thankfully she wasn't that far away to begin with so it didn't take her long to get near him. "Get ready Mei." The two teens steeled themselves as on her final swing forward Izuku latched onto the girl, as she did to him. Her free left arm wrapped over his right shoulder and her legs wrapped around his waist. The impact caused them to sway, thankfully not too violently. When they came to a still again they both breathed a sigh of relief. Mei had her head resting comfortably against Izuku's chest, she could hear his heart racing.

She looked up to him with a wide grin. "Ah the Hero, saving the damsel in distress." She said in a playful tone. The boy blushed something fierce. But her little joke did make him feel good, it reminded him of those old campy hero cartoons he watched as a little kid.

"Nice job Mei. Now hold onto me as tight as you can, I'm going to let go of you so I can press the detach button on your gauntlet. Keep holding onto me because I need to let go again after to lower us down." Izuku said, surprisingly calm. "Okay." She replied.

"Alright, I'm going to let go." Izuku could feel her grip tighten around him even greater. Sweat dripped down his face as he carefully let go of Mei. It was somewhat awkward to reach up to her gauntlet, but he managed. And with a simple press her grappling claw detached from the metal roof with a resonating clang that echoed through the warehouse. Izuku quickly regained his hold on Mei and watched as the cable and claw fell to the floor, finally allowing Mei to drop her arm.

However when she did she let out a painful cry, her aching and stiff muscles burned with pain as they were pushed far beyond their limit holding her up for so long. She buried her face into Izuku's chest, tears rolled down her cheeks. "Mei! Don't worry I'll get us down soon!" He let go of her for a second time, pressing the blue arrow. And with a sigh of relief Izuku felt them slowly lower to the ground. His heart dropped as he heard Mei's muffled sobbing into his shirt. Her tears wetting his shirt slightly.

With a small clack of his shoes against the floor they touched down. Mei unwrapped herself from Izuku and he gently placed her on the ground. He quickly undid the straps that held his arm in the gauntlet and brought his own arm down, leaving the gauntlet hanging from the roof. He winced, even though he'd only been up there for a few minutes even his arm stung. He couldn't imagine how painful Mei's arm felt. The injured girl made her way over to a stool next to a workbench and slowly eased herself onto it. She attempted to undo the straps on her own gauntlet, but even the small movements she made with the injured arm sent flares of pain through her muscles.

She winced in pain and her breath hitched, small tears still rolled down her cheeks. Izuku walked over to her quickly, silently taking over and undoing the straps himself. She didn't protest in the slightest, instead she used her good arm to grab a notepad on the workbench. It contained the blueprint and calculations of the gauntlet. "Ah... aah... I... m-must have made a miscalculation when twe-tweaking the torque of the m-motors. I noticed you moved much slower g-going up than I did. Must have... ah...caused the cable to b-bunch up in the pulley system." Her breathing has harsh and labored as Izuku worked, even though he was being as gentle as possible. With one final pull to loosen the strap the gauntlet clattered to the floor and her arm was free.

Beads of sweat rolled down her face, Izuku hated seeing her like this. "Come on, lets get you some ice and rest that arm of yours." He motioned to lift her up, but she softly placed a hand on his chest in protest."I'm...I'm fine. I gotta make these adjustments to the motors while it's still fresh in my head. Plus we still have to test the goo grenade"

Izuku wasn't having any of it, and in a rare instance he had to put his foot down. "I'm sorry Mei, but you're in no condition to be working on anything right now. That arm needs care, or your only going to make it worse." He moved in anyways and put his arm under her good arm and wrapped it around her back, carefully lifting her up. "But Izukuuuuuuu." She whined like a child who wasn't getting what they wanted. "Nope, you're getting rest. Or I'm not going to help you test your gadgets anymore." Izuku let out a huff, he laughed on the inside.

He sounded like a parent.

With a few final groans in protest Mei finally gave up. She stood on her own two legs and leaned hard against the boy.

He slowly and carefully navigated her through and out of the workshop, then with a longer than normal walk they were in front of Mei's house. Izuku opened the door and lead her inside. He scanned around for a suitable place to lay her down. To his left was the kitchen and dining area, that's where he would find ice, or a ice-pack. Thankfully there was a living-room just to the right of the entrance with a large and comfortable looking couch. And after another minute of careful moving Mei was on the couch, her head was propped up with a few pillows and she seemed to relax. "Right... I'll be right back. Just... don't move."

Mei smiled. "Roger that Captain."

The trip to the kitchen was quick enough, thankfully there was a couple ice-packs in the freezer. After wrapping one up in a kitchen towel he made his way back to the living room. But as he passed by the kitchen table he noticed something on it. It was a comic book, a very old and well worn one too. It was called Vigilantes, the title stylized to take the shape of a fox. Below the cover was a woman, clad in a black tactical suit with what looked to be fox ears and a black fuzzy tail. A utility belt hung at her waist. However it was the mask that she wore that got Izuku's heart going.

It was that mask, the smiling mask that he just couldn't seem to forget or ignore. He stared at it, not quite sure what to think. "Follow the Fox." Flashed in his mind.

"No." He whispered. This couldn't be real, it had to be some sort of coincidence right. Maybe the mask he found was just an old piece of merchandise for the comic? Tons of comics had stuff like that, and it was in a trash heap as well. Probably thrown away ages ago by a fan.

But still.

Finding the mask, the weird dream, and now a comic book about a fox hero with the same mask. It gave Izuku a terrible uneasiness in his body. She shook his head, Mei still needed him and he shouldn't keep her waiting. He grabbed the comic book and quickly made his way back to the living room.

Mei was still on the couch thankfully, he half expected her to try and sneak out while he was gone. 'What an odd girl.' He thought to himself. He placed the comic book down on a end table and knelt down beside her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly. A brow rose on Izuku's face in slight confusion.

Was she asleep?

He leaned in closer. "Mei?" He whispered, he got no response. "Yup, she's asleep." He continued to whisper, as to not wake her up. It was only when he was this close did he realize that Mei had bags under her eyes. Then he remembered that her texts were sent at three in the morning.

'Was she up all night?' He asked himself. 'No wonder she fell asleep so fast.' This was a good thing though. Rest, combined with the ice-pack would allow her arm to heal faster. So he placed the ice pack on her shoulder, propping it up with a small throw pillow. He carefully took a seat on the couch next to her head, the pillows keeping her head up brushed against his pants.

He sat there kind of awkwardly, not really sure what he should do next. Maybe he should go home, she was asleep and he felt kind of weird being her house. But he shot that idea down. What if Mei woke up and needed help? She'd be by herself, and who knows when her dad would be home if at all. He glanced down at her, she had a slight smile on her face as she peacefully slept. Izuku smiled himself, yeah he would stay.

His eyes drifted back over to the Black Fox comic book that sat on the end table next to him. Part of him didn't want to look into it, but his curiosity got the better of him. It was quite thick for a comic book, normally they'd only be like twenty pages. But this seemed to be at least sixty.

He flipped open the cover, taking great care as the comic was very old. The first page was a foreword about the comic.

This comic book as an anthology of stories based off the real-life tales of Vigilantes. Due to the nature of these stories, names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved. This anthology makes no claims that these events are accurate due to the nature of these stories origins. Events have been altered to create a cohesive narrative for each story. High Moon Publishing does not condone or support the actions of vigilantes.

Intrigued Izuku read the comic. Stories varied in length and subject matter. Some were simple robberies that were foiled by vigilantes. Others were intense dramas depicting the struggles of being a vigilante. Hiding from the cops and heroes, keeping their secret identities from their loved ones and the terrible repercussions of that secret being discovered. He finished story after story, enthralled by the hardships and triumphs of these illegal heroes. He'd never paid much attention to vigilantes, after all he dreamed of being a Pro Hero. And vigilantes were unsanctioned heroes that took the law into their own hands and dispense their own justice. Some even killed the villains they fought, some were just as bad as the villains themselves. He'd stop every once in a while to check on Mei and change the ice-pack to keep it cold.

Then he finally got to the last story, the story of the woman on the cover.

Black Fox.

Izuku felt his arms get goosebumps and a shiver ran up his spine as the first page depicted Black Fox with that familiar mask on bold display. He read the foreword that was at the beginning of every story.

This is the story how of the vigilante Black Fox, became public knowledge. This story is based of the testimonies of the criminals she captured and the people she saved. For context this story takes place after a villain group known as The Brotherhood. A group of villains that committed a massive string of kidnappings for ransom money.

The story started with Fox riding a motorcycle at night in heavy rain. A black tail whipping around as the air raced past her. Eventually she stopped at a rundown warehouse on the edge of the city. She killed the engine and dismounted her bike. With grace she ran over and scaled the building as if it was nothing. Racing across the rooftop until she reached a open window on the roof. Slipping inside with such ease and finesse that it seemed like she flowed like water. She slowly and carefully walked across narrow wooden beams until she came to a stop in the center. She was overlooking the interior of the warehouse. It was as bad looking on the inside as it was on the outside. Rain poured in from rusty holes in the roof and the lights barely illuminated the insides.

Below her gathered in a circle was a group of civilians, all of different ethnicity and genders. They had gags in their mouths, their hands as well as their feet were bound. Patrolling around them were members of the Brotherhood, all armed to the teeth. She pulled out a circular device and placed it on the underside of the beam she was on, tapping a small red button, arming the device. Moving along through the rafters she was as silent as a mouse, Fox found herself poised above a isolated guard. Landing with near perfect silence she grabbed the guard from behind in a choke hold, then slamming him to the ground in a knockout blow. The rest of the page was of her eliminating each threat as silent and efficient as possible. When all guards were knocked out on the ground she made a dash towards the hostages. Before she could reach them however a knife flew past her head, missing her by just a hair. She skidded to a stop and faced her attacker.

A lithe man in a sleeveless leather jacket faced her with a wild grin on his face, blades made of bone jutted out from his arms. "Well look what we have here? A little fox in the wolf's den is it? I've heard of you... Black Fox. They say you can't be touched, that you can dodge any attack sent your way. I'm going to prove them wrong!" He laughed like a manic. "These kidnappings... all a set up to draw you out!" He cackled manically.

He ripped one of the blades out of his arm, causing a streak of blood to spurt out. He charged Fox with great speed, swinging wildly at her with murderous intent. Fox dodged gracefully, never getting hit once in the flurry of attacks. She back-flipped away from the killer, slamming him straight in the jaw with her foot as she did. The Blade villain stumbled backwards as he nursed his jaw, not dissuaded one bit. "Oooh, that was a good hit Fox. I need to start getting serious."

He came at her once again this time with greater focus, his swings were more precise and deliberate. No longer was he the rabid animal he was before. Fox was having greater trouble dodging his attack, only barely able to avoid serious damage.

"Why no talking Fox, why aren't you fighting back? You know I'm going to kill you!"

Little did the villain know she was playing him like a fiddle, only pretending to be on the defensive. All she needed was to lead him just a bit further. The villain had enough of this little game of cat and mouse though, he lunged forward blades ready to slice her head off. But she was ready and in one fluid motion she slid underneath him, giving the psychopath a swift punch to the groin. The villain crashed to the ground with a crumpled heap as both hands reached between his legs. A loud beep sounded and the device that Fox had planted earlier activated. It fired a metal dart that was attached by a cable to the device. Once it pierced the flesh of the villain it sent down a powerful electric shock, causing the criminal to shake violently as his body was ravaged by three hundred million volts of electricity. When the device finally stopped the psycho was a twitching mess on the ground. Black Fox confidently sauntered over and delivered a single knockout punch.

With all threats dealt with Fox quickly returned to the hostages. Pulling out a small knife she started to cut their bonds and undo their gags. Those that were freed help others out of their bonds. The last hostage however was a special one. He was a young man with dark red hair and yellow eyes, she carefully undid his restraints. Being almost playful with how she freed him. When the young man was able to stand the two of them stared at each-other. A warm smile formed on the young man's face. "Good to see you Fox." His voice was calm and loving.

This act was not lost on the other hostages, many of them watched as Black Fox leaned in. Placing a black gloved hand lovingly on his cheek before pulling her smiling mask up slightly, though not enough for any of them to get a good look at her face. She kissed the redheaded man on the forehead, causing the man to blush.

Suddenly there was sirens in the distance and Fox quickly put her mask down. Giving one final look towards the man she kissed she turned and bolted to the nearest wall, running up it before leaping off in the opposite direction. She landed on the rafters of the warehouse with ease and ran across them. Grabbing the device she planted before exiting out of the skylight she came in. She raced to her motorcycle, the engine roared to life and with blinding speed... she was gone.

Izuku turned the last page reaching the end of the anthology book.

"Wow." He whispered. This Black Fox seemed incredible. She was so stealthy, so graceful, it was spectacular. The only other hero he thought he could compare her to was Eraserhead. And most interestingly to Izuku, she didn't seem to have a quirk. At least not one that he could tell. Everything she did was extraordinary, but not completely out of the realm of a quirkless human. Sure, not your average person could or would train their bodies to peak performance. But it was possible. The other thing that caught Izuku's attention was the relationship between Black Fox and that man. It was clear that the two knew each-other, romantically so. He wondered what happened that got those two together, and whether they were still together.

Izuku pulled out his phone, he was going to do a bit of research. Although that was an understatement. He searched for everything he could find about this Black Fox. News articles, forum posts, fan sites, anything he could. He read post after post, every bit of news he could find, every theory and bit of speculation he could scrounge up. After compiling all the data, finding what was fact and what was fiction for who knows how long he finally seemed to have a basic profile of Black Fox.

She was active for a period of four years, starting twenty years ago. No name and no face on record, she was a completely blank slate. In security footage, photographs, and descriptions by witness her outfit was just as it was portrayed in the comic. A black tactical suit with a hood, the smiling mask, a utility belt, fox-like ears and a fuzzy black tail. In her brief four years of activity though she made a name for herself by taking out high profile villains and common street criminals alike. She was so effective that if she was a registered Pro-Hero she would have been number ten on the leader board. She was famous for her ability to allude police, even going so far as to taunt them. This was due to her ability to dodge any attack just as the villain in her comic said. However she never displayed any obvious quirk, whether she had one or not was never determined. She was known to use a variety of tools and gadgets though only a rare few were ever discovered and confiscated by police.

She disappeared sixteen years ago for unknown reasons, no record of a arrest or death was ever discovered or reported. This disappearance occured after she took down a notorious crime boss known as Dragon. After that she seemed to fade from existence. No sightings, nothing.

It was if she just stopped existing...

While that wasn't a satisfactory conclusion to her story that Izuku would have wanted, he couldn't help but be amazed that with seemingly no quirk she was skilled enough to compete with the top heroes at the time. But he couldn't really understand, why would someone as skilled as her choose to be a vigilante instead of a Pro-Hero? She clearly had the means, the skill, and the motivation. So why didn't she? It had to be a personal reason, it was the only explanation that he could come up with.

Those thoughts would have to be continued later however, as he heard a faint groan next to him. Mei began to stir from her slumber, her vibrant yellow eyes fluttered open. They shifted around as she seemed to be getting a sense of her surroundings. She noticed Izuku, her eyes staring up at him, her mouth in a warm smile. "Hey there Hero." Her voice made Izuku's heart flutter for a second. "H-Hey... Mei-san. How are you feeling?" He asked while taking the now lukewarm ice-pack off her Shoulder. Mei shifted her body, letting out a long yawn. She rotated her shoulder and flexed her arm, only to receive pain in return. Her breath hitched from the pain. "B-Better, my arm doesn't feel like it was stabbed with a hot knife anymore. But It's still sore." She moved to sit up, but with only the use of one arm she was having a lot of trouble. Izuku, ever feeling the need to help got up and helped her, careful not to touch her bad arm.

When she was situated he sat back down next to her. "So... how long was I out?" Mei yawned. Izuku checked his phone and was surprised to see that it was six in the afternoon. He'd gotten there at half past ten, and the whole ordeal in the workshop didn't last longer than fifteen minutes. Did he really read that anthology comic and do research for over six hours? "Uh...about six hours." He heard another yawn from Mei. "Oh wow...ah... I really must have been really tired to sleep that long."

Izuku looked at the time again, wondering if he should start his trip home. His body stood in defiance of this idea when a monstrous rumble came from his stomach. He glanced over to Mei and by the look on her face she'd clearly heard it. "Whoa is there a monster in the house or was that your stomach?" She laughed. Izuku cringed with embarrassment, in his enthusiasm for learning about vigilantes he'd forgot to eat anything. Though he wasn't sure he would have eaten anything anyways. Would it have been rude to rummage through Mei's food while she was asleep?

The pink-headed girl let out a short giggle and got up. "Eh we both could use some food, I haven't had anything but coffee and energy bars today." And with that she made her way to the kitchen while Izuku gave her a incredulous look. How in the world could a girl with such boundless energy eat so little? Getting over his disbelief Izuku patiently waited for her, he could just barely make out what she was saying. She was ordering pizza from the sound of it. A moment later she walked back in, cellphone in hand "Alright... okay, thank you." She said excitedly before hanging up. "Pizza's gonna be here in a little while, didn't know what you liked wanted to I just got cheese."

She sat back down and the two of them got to chatting, mostly about Mei's work on the grapple gauntlet. Well it was mostly Mei who did the taking, Izuku just sat there soaking in her passionate rant about her work. More than a few times she got too excited and used her bad arm leading to a cry of pain and Izuku fretting over her like a mother hen. Even with the brief moments of stress from caring for Mei, Izuku was fascinated and drawn in by her enthusiasm. The way she'd talk about her inventions you really do get the idea that she does treat them like her babies. Talking about their 'temperaments' and how when they broke she'd get right back to them. Failure filled her with renewed motivation, so she could make them better and stronger than before. It's why she was so keen on getting back to work on the gauntlet even after injuring her arm. She was as passionate about inventing as he was about heroes, and that gave him a sense of comrade that he hadn't felt since the days before Bakugo got his quirk.

One sentence she said stood out to him the most though.

"I never back down, I never give up. If I fail, that only means I need to try harder!"

That made him smile, it was that kind of attitude that made the best heroes to him. Mei would have made a excellent hero, but her dream was set on support and he would never try to tell convince her otherwise.

After all... that's what All Might did to him...

Thankfully before his mind could wander back into that dark place, a knock came at the door. Sure enough it was the delivery man. Izuku made sure he answered the door since Mei only had one usable arm. "Thank you for the pizza, have a safe drive." Izuku called out to the pizza man before closing the door. His mouth was already watering as he brought the hot box into the living room. He set it on a coffee table in front of the couch, next to the vigilante anthology. They wasted no time diving into the greasy food, cheese dripping from each slice they ate. It was especially good for Izuku as he was normally a healthy eater, so having pizza was a rare treat for him. At the same time Mei continued her speech about her work, not that Izuku could fully understand it when she had a mouth fill of pizza half the time.

Soon enough though the pizza was gone faster than either of them would have liked, but their hunger was satisfied. The two teens sat in a content silence for a while until the nagging feeling returned to Izuku's mind. He checked his phone, a disappointing look fell upon his face.

It was past seven, he had to get home...

As much as he would and probably could stay longer, he didn't want to push it like last night. His mother had been worried sick, and he had to lie to put her at ease. He had to make it home earlier than really needed he felt. And so he reluctantly got up, wiping a few crumbs off his shirt. "I'm really sorry to dash after eating Mei-san, but I should probably get started on getting home. My mother was pretty worried that I came home so late last night." He took a look at her injured arm and he suddenly felt a hint of guilt about leaving.

"You gonna be okay Mei-san, you know with your arm and all?"

The yellow eyes of the girl glanced at her arm. "Yeah I'll be fine. My dad's actually gonna be home tonight, so I'll be good."

Izuku sighed, that was a weight off his mind. "Okay... and... could you take things easy for a couple days Mei-san?"

This got Mei to pout, almost like a child. "Do I have to? I'm already itching to get back to my lab, I've got all these ideas just ready to come out!"

The green-haired boy hung his head. "I know Mei-san, but that arm of yours is only going to get worse without rest. Plus how much work can you really get done with one arm?" He was trying hard to convince her, he didn't want to see her get worse. The comment about not being able to do much with one arm seemed to do the trick though. She relented with a groaning sigh. "Fine, but tomorrow you need to take me somewhere. There's no way I'm staying cooped up in this house all day." Her face was firm, and her words strong. Mei was definitely not going to budge on this.

It seemed like the best deal he was going to get from here, at least he'd be there to keep an eye on her. "Deal."

Mei squealed in delight, hopping off the couch and trotted over to Izuku. "Great, meet he here at noon." Izuku nodded. He glanced down at the comic on the table. "Hey, do you mind if I borrow this." He pointed to the comic.

Mei shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, just take care if it. It's one of my dad's old comics."

"I'll make sure to take good care of it." He grabbed the comic and headed for the door with Mei in tow. The faint yellow glow of the sky greeted him as he opened the front door and stepped outside, the sun was just beginning to set.

He turned around to the inventor. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow Mei-san. And remember, take it easy. No heavy lifting and no dangerous tests."

Mei gave him a pout, but playful face in return. "Yeah yeah I know. And Izuku... thanks for saving me... again. Not sure what I would have done without you." Without warning she gave her Hero a big hug, pushing her face into his chest. And as suddenly as it happened, Mei was off of him and back inside before the boy could even so much as react. Not that he really could, frozen in embarrassed shock as he was. His body was stiff like a statue with a face as red as the sneakers he wore.

When his brain finally rebooted he was able to walk away, only with a slight sway as if he was drunk. Fortunately this didn't last too long, and his trip home was quick and uneventful, thank goodness. He made sure to call both before and after he got on the train as he promised his mother.

He let out a heavy sigh as he walked through the front door of the Midoriya household. The smell of ham wafted through the air, assaulting his nose. "I'm home mom!" He called out. He heard the shuffling of footsteps and the Midoriya Matriarch rounded the corner, a bright smile on her face. "Perfect timing sweetie, I got a nice ham on the table for dinner."

Izuku felt a little guilty, his mom had made supper and here he was already having eaten. "S-Sorry mom, I'm not gonna have any. I ate at my friend's place before coming home."

She waved him off, a oven mitt on her hands. "Oh that's alright sweetie, I'll just put it in the fridge for leftovers." She paused. A look of anticipation formed on her face. "So... how was your time at your... friend's house." Izuku cocked an eyebrow, his mom was acting weird. He took off his shoes and walked past her. "It was good, really... exciting when I first got there. Then we relaxed for the rest of the day."

His mother was blushing and she looked shook like a giddy school girl. She raced over hugged her son. "Oh my baby is growing up, ah his first girlfriend!" His mother began to cry a waterfall of tears out of joy.

Izuku's eyes nearly shot out of his head they burst open so fast, his body shook and his face was redder then it had ever been before.

"Girlfriend!" He shouted. What the heck was going on? Where did she get this idea?

He finally managed to pull away from his mother, who was still crying. "Mom what do you mean, I don't have a g-girlfriend!" His protest didn't seem to dissuade his mother at all, in fact she was practically bouncing with joy. "Oh Izuku honey, no need to be embarrassed. I couldn't be happier!" Izuku was at a lost. He had no idea how his mother had ever gotten the idea that he had a girlfriend. He made no mention that his new friend was a girl, or even that he was romantically involved... which he wasn't "Mom I don't know what you're talking about. Why do you think I have a girlfriend?"

Mrs. Midoriya finally calmed down enough to explain. "When you left this morning you said you couldn't keep 'her' waiting."

Izuku wish a bolt of lightening would come down from the heavens and smite him at that moment for his stupidity. A thoughtless choice of words had given his mother the completely wrong idea. He let out a loud groan as he covered his face in shame.

"Mom... it's not like that! I just met her yesterday, we're not dating! Heck we've known each-other for only like twenty-four hours at most!"

His mom was in a whole other world at this point. As soon as he reconfirmed that his friend was a girl she went into another fit joy.

"Mom I'm serious! We're not dating!" He shouted, to which he instantly regretted as he slapped his mouth shut. He'd never snapped at his mother like that before. The sudden outburst seemed to snap Inko out of her fantasy as she instantly calmed down, looking at her son with an apologetic look. "Oh... I'm sorry honey. My imagination got the better of me." She gave him a soft hug, to which he gladly accepted. "It's okay mom. I'm sorry for snapping at you." He felt his mother pat his head. "Oh it's okay sweety, it's exactly what you needed to do to snap me out of it." She laughed.

They separated and Inko gave her boy a warm smile. "Even if she's not your girlfriend, can I at least get a name?"

Izuku nodded, it wa the least he could do. "Y-Yeah. Her name is Mei Hatsume."

His mother beamed with joy. "Ah what a lovely name, We should have her over for dinner sometime. I'd like to meet my son's new friend... If that's okay?"

The boy's posture slumped, he was tired. "Yeah mom, I'll bring her over some time." And with a simple nod from his mother Izuku made his way to bed.

Boy was he tired.


	3. Troubles, Old and New

Chapter 3: Troubles Old and New.

It was a beautiful April day in Musutafu, clear skies and a comfortable temperature. The perfect day for fun and relaxation before school the next day.

And all Mei could think about was staying inside and working.

She sat in her bedroom, a veritable mini-workshop in it's own right. There she sat at one of her workstations, tinkering with one of her newest ideas. Surrounding her were other workstations, power-tools, and a rows upon rows of shelves and containers filled with everything from scrap metal to electronics. Everything she needed to craft anything, short of military ordinance. That was unfortunately far out of her reach legally, not for a lack of trying though. She had no carpet, only laminated floors. She learned early on that grease, gas, and oil stains were impossible to get out of carpets. Her workshop was her her home, and her bedroom was her home away from home oddly enough.

And she had to be away from her true home due to her own mistakes, and her promise to a green-haired boy. But he said no heavy lifting and no dangerous tests, he didn't say that she couldn't work on anything at all. And she delighted in that loophole, at least it gave her something to work with, because not doing anything was absolute torture. As she sat in grease stained pajamas Mei worked on her newest baby, a miniature drone. But it was no ordinary drone, not when she would be done with it. But with one arm in a sling, courtesy of the local clinic, she was having issues. You never know how hard it is to only have one arm until it's all you have.

Maybe she should make a third arm, a robot arm?

"Oh now that's exciting!" She squealed, quickly grabbing a piece of notebook paper and writing the idea down. She pinning it on a board in front of her, a board that was already overcrowded with other similar scraps of paper. Each one an idea, a spark of imagination, or a dream. Some were years old, most were new, and more were added every day.

Getting back to her task at hand her brief elation at the new idea was washed away by the returning feeling of frustration. With a soldering iron in her good hand she was trying so very hard to solder a very small and very delicate component to the drone. But such work required both hands for precise micro-movements and stability, and with only one hand she constantly moved the drone in ways she didn't intend. Which often lead to her messing up the soldering and having to start over again.

"Stay still, damn you. Mamma just needs to make a few more points to put together and we're done." She cursed under her breath. But the device refused to obey to it's mother and with a errant twitch of her hand the drone moved, causing her to solder the wrong part. Mei felt her frustration boil over, she slammed down the soldering iron and turned it off. She'd had enough, that was for sure. The inventor leaned back in her chair, her good hand covering half her face. Her cries of anguish filled her room. She was motionless as she stared up at the ceiling.

"This sucks." She sighed.

Her uncovered eye glanced back down at the desk, to the back left corner where a framed photograph sat. She looked at the two smiling girls in the frame, one with pink hair, the other blue. Together they held a small gold trophy, the looks on their faces couldn't be any happier.

**"We did it Mei-Mei, we won!"**

Mei closed her eyes hard, trying so hard to shut down old memories. In desperation she checked her phone, making sure to avoid looking at the picture again. She saw that it was a quarter to twelve. Izuku would be arriving soon. Maybe her personal hero could save her. Her fingers tapped away at her screen, maybe texting him would help get her mind off her problems.

[To: Heroboy]

[Hey hero, you almost here? I'm dieing to get out of the house.:(]

[From: Heroboy]

[Almost, just got off the train. Be there in about ten minutes.]

[To: Heroboy]

[Good. Also I'm gonna be in my room, just come inside. My room is the first door on the left up the stairs when you enter.]

[From: Heroboy]

[Alright, see you soon.]

And with that Mei spun out of her chair, and over to her closet. She still had to pick out clothes for today. Said clothes spilled out as she opened the door, she rarely ever hung or even put away her clothes. So everything was just kinda haphazardly thrown everywhere. Shirts, skirts, and underwear mixed with no rhyme or reason on the floor. She got to work rifling through it all, throwing what didn't appeal to her over her shoulder. Some landed harmlessly on the floor, others like a pair of pink panties got caught on the handlebar of a stripped-bare motorcycle frame. What she did like was flung with just as little care onto her pink bed, the only thing even remotely girly in her room. And the only piece of clean furniture at that.

When she was satisfied she kicked what clothes remained back into the closed it. It was then that she got a knock at her bedroom door.

"Mei-san, you in there?" Came a familiar voice, muffled from behind the door.

"Yup, come on in." She invited him cheerfully.

There was a brief pause and Mei could almost swear she could hear Izuku mumbling from behind the door. Her door slowly opened, Izuku peaked his head in cautiously before the rest of him stepped through. He was wearing a very plain outfit, blue jeans and and white stripped shirt. He had a slight blush on his face, Mei wondered why.

"H-Hey Mei-san, hope I'm not intruding." He stammered out. Mei waved him off. "No, not at all. I did just invite you in you know." The wannabe hero nervously rubbed his arm. "Y-Yeah." He paused, before averting his gaze to her arm in the sling. His eyes looked at her with worry. "How's the arm, and... where did you get the sling?"

Mei glanced down at her arm. "Still sore, though not as bad. Got the sling when my dad took me to a twenty-four hour clinic to get it looked at. They said there's no permanent damage and it should be fine in a day or two."

Izuku's shoulders relaxed, glad to hear she would be okay. "S-So your dad knows about what happened yesterday, was he upset?" He was kind of nervous that her father might of gotten upset with her or him.

Mei simply nodded. "Yeah, he was concerned of course. But he was so glad that you were there to help me. He said to tell you that, he's extremely grateful to you for taking care of me. That you are welcome here anytime."

Izuku blushed. "O-Oh, that's... I'm honored. I don't know if I deserve it though. I mean we've only known each other for like two days."

Mei smiled brightly. "And in those two days you saved from serious trouble twice and took care of me! Give yourself some credit Izuku."

The boy's cheeks went red. "I-I was just doing what anyone else would."

Mei giggled and rolled her eyes. "You're too modest for your own good." She sighed.

It was then she noticed her hero's eyes wander around the room, a mixture of wonder and confusion on his face. "This is your room or a workshop." He asked.

Mei chuckled lightly.

"Yes!" She threw her only arm up in glee.

"My brain is almost always pregnant with ideas for my babies, and with everything here I don't need to run down to the warehouse to work if I get an idea while I'm in the house!"

She watched as Izuku wandered around her room, he looked like a little kid looking at a collection of cool toys. His attention gravitated to a glove with small pads on the palm and fingers, a pair of cheap earbuds were plugged into them.

"What's his?" He asked, holding the glove up.

She trotted over, giddy that she could show off her work. She took the glove from him and slipped it on. "This little baby is a listening device. Just plug any headphones into it and press your hand against any surface thinner than five centimeters and you'll be able to hear anything on the other side in a seven meter radius!"

She put the earbuds in and placed her hand on Izuku's chest, causing the boy to freeze in place. "You can even use it to listen to someone's insides, perfect for checking heart-rates, breathing problems, and blood-flow."

She listened to Izuku's heart, it was rapidly increasing in speed. So much so that she pulled her hand away and looked at Izuku worriedly. "You okay? You're heart-rate skyrocketed."

Her words snapped Izuku out of his petrified state. "Y-Yeah, y-you just surprised me is all." He let out a cough. "So...um... that glove is really great Mei. It would be fantastic for Rescue Heroes, they could listen for trapped people, hiding villains, or hidden bombs. You could even give it to doctors to use as a way to check someone's vitals during a doctor's visit."

Mei beamed with pride, she had already thought of all these herself but hearing Izuku come to the same conclusion felt great. She took off the glove and set it down back where Izuku picked it up. "Thanks Izuku, hearing that fills me with determination!" She pumped her fist triumphantly then placed it on her hip. "So you ready to head out... also where are we going?"

"We're going to Kiyashi Ward Mall, I'm... uh... not sure what we'll do, but I'm sure we'll find something. And yeah I'm ready... uh... are... you?" Izuku asked, confused as to why Mei was still in pajamas.

Mei looked down and saw her attire, she'd completely forgotten to change. "Oh just give me a second." She bounded back over to her bed and slipped off her shirt in one quick motion, she was about to pull down her pajama bottoms when she heard a shriek from behind her and a thud as something had landed hard on the floor.

She spun around, her chest bare to the world, only to see Izuku flat on his butt with his hands covering his eyes.

Mei was perplexed. Why had he fallen over?

"You okay Izuku, what happened?"

Every part of Izuku was trembling, shivering like he was freezing. "M-M-Mei! Why a-are you g-getting changed in front of m-me!" He was a stuttering mess, barely able to keep himself together.

"Huh?" Mei was confused. What was the problem?

"What do you mean? I have to get changed if we're going out." Seriously Mei couldn't understand what had the boy all worked up. She got changed in front girls in the locker room at school so what was the problem? Meanwhile Izuku was trying desperately to get up while keeping his eyes closed, trying to make his way to the door.

"N-Never mind. I-I'll j-just wait for you outside." Mei watched as Izuku miraculously managed to make it to the door, bolting through it as soon as he found the door knob. Mei just stared at the door for a minute before continuing to get dressed.

"What an odd boy." She whispered to herself. It was frustrating to get dressed, with only one good arm and the other still sore she took much longer than she liked. But eventually she was finished and now she stood in front of a makeshift mirror she made out of old rear-view mirrors. Black leggings, black sneakers, a jean skirt, a simple white shirt and a blue hoodie tied around her waist. It was kind of plain, but Mei was never the kind of girl to really dress up.

Satisfied with her look she grabbed her wallet she hurried out the door. She saw Izuku at the bottom of the stairs, his face was red and he was mumbling to himself.

"Here I come!" She yelled and with a wild grin on her face she slid down the railing of the stairs, heading straight for a startled green-eyed boy. Izuku was lucky that Mei yelled before she slid down, otherwise he wouldn't have snapped out of his Mei-induced shock. He managed to get out of the way before the inventor girl slammed into him, early throwing himself to the floor to avoid the collision, Mei however landed gracefully on the ground, due to the countless times she'd done this stunt in the past. And with a swift grab of Izuku's hand Mei raced out the door, practically dragging poor Izuku behind her.

The train ride to Kiyashi Ward took half an hour. They sat next to each other the whole time, they chatted over more of Mei's work. Izuku was still pretty quiet though, mostly letting Mei do all the talking while he listened. He hadn't quite gotten over the sight of Mei shirtless, every-time the image flashed in his mind his face would heat up. Oblivious to the wannabe hero's plight Mei rambled on about her ideas for new gadgets. She as very enthusiastic about the whole robot arm idea, even jokingly throwing out the idea of amputating her bad arm and replacing it with a robotic prosthetic. Izuku thought she was serious and immediately and vehemently disagreed with. There's no way he would allow her to mutilate her body. Mei reassured him it was a joke, even she would never do something that extreme.

As the train doors opened Mei and Izuku had to fight their way through the crowded train. Izuku could have sworn people were intentionally getting in their way. At one point they briefly got separated in the sea of people, only staying together because of their distinct hair acting as a beacon. Izuku found her hand and with one final push to the exit they made it through. Barely making it through the doors before shut close. Taking it slow as to help catch their breath they made their way up and out of the subway station.

"Wow..." The teens said in unison. Before them stood the massive mall, larger than any either had seen. Dozens if not hundreds of people flowed in and out every minute. Izuku broke out into a sweat, a small pang of anxiety filled him. He'd never been in such a large and populated place before. And for once Mei was on the same level as Izuku, in nervous awe of what layed before her. But unlike Izuku she got over her reservations fast. "Come on Izuku, lets get in there. This place looks crazy fun!" And before the boy could get a word in edge-wise she took charge and lead him into the ocean of people.

They seemed to wander aimlessly, passing by countless stores and untold numbers of people. Until one shop in particular captured Mei's complete attention. In bright bold neon green letters was the sign Hero's Kingdom, a arcade. The sounds of clinking coins, high-pitched beeps and chirps from various arcades, and the roars of crowds surrounding the machines. "Lets go there first!" She shouted. She'd always loved arcades, ever since her dad took her to one when she was little. It was one of the happiest memories she had of them togther. Her love of arcades was odd, by all rights she shouldn't like them. They were dated, and so simple. A far cry from the nearly photo-realistic games they had these days. But there was just something pure in their simplicity, a simplicity that she loved.

She finally slowed down once inside. Her mouth opened wide with joy as the warm feeling of nostalgia washed over her. It was just like all those years ago with her dad, only now she had someone new to make memories with. Even Izuku, who hadn't been appreciative to the loud noises of the arcade couldn't help but soak in the atmosphere. It was loud, chaotic, and bright. All things that would normally repel him, but this... it felt awesome. There was just a raw energy in there air that got him pumped to play, he couldn't wait.

" Mei-san, this place is so cool! What should we play first?" She was one step ahead of her friend, already searching the rows upon rows of games. Her eyes wandered with glee as she scanned each machine to see which one she wanted to play first. Her eyes landed on a fighting game cabinet.

Ultra Hero Fighter Two.

"Bingo!" She said, her voice filled with joy. She lead Izuku over to the large two-player cabinet. This would be perfect for the two of them. Izuku's eyes sparkled as he took in the beautiful artwork on the side of the machine. Heroes and Villains adorned the sides, all of them old-school. From well known heroes such as All might and Endeavor to a few somewhat obscure American ones such as Arachni-Man and Captain Freedom. All of them were in what would be referred to as "Silver Age" costumes. All Might of course was the one with the biggest profile, his ever smiling face plastered proudly. A flash of the real All Might entered his mind, that sickly skeletal form briefly replacing the perfect visage of All Might.

"Stay here, I'll go get us some tokens." Said before rushing off. She was back in a minute with a fist full of tokens. She stuffed most of them into on of Izuku's pocket, since she didn't have any pockets in her jean skirt large enough. The act earning her a small cry from Izuku at the sudden contact. Mei took the rest and put them into the fighter cabinet. A thought suddenly hit Izuku.

"Mei-san... how are you supposed to fight with only one hand?" His eyes glanced down to her arm in it's sling. Mei forgot about her arm, evident by her surprised look when she heard Izuku mention it. Flexing her arm as much as she could she still felt the stinging in her muscles.

"I guess I'll just have to play with one hand!" She said cheerfully, not deterred in the slightest.

With a look of apprehension Midoriya turned to the machine. Mei took her position next to Izuku and both watched as the 64-bit sprites played a short intro depicting All Might going up against a group of villains hidden in shadow before a flash of light and the title blew onto the screen in a beautiful pixilated explosion.

A roster of twenty-four heroes and villains were displayed before them. Izuku institutionally went for All Might, but he hesitated once he realized this. He stared at All Might's portrait with a mixture of anxiety and resolve, after a brief moment Izuku selected him. Mei didn't know almost any of these heroes other than All Might and Endeavor. So seeing Izuku pick All Might she figured she'd be the rival and hit select on the fiery hero Endeavor.

The match started and the two got to button mashing, very literally too. Neither had ever played a fighting game in their life so both were just randomly hitting buttons. All they could really do is direct the characters in each other's direction and hope some hits landed. It was like they were drunkenly thrashing two action figurers against each other. Fights were over either too fast or took too long, the winner being decided by who had more health.

Even with Mei's handicap she still managed to beat Izuku, much to his embarrassment.

After a brutal eight rounds it all came down to the final match. By some miracle it was four-to-four, whoever won this match would be the champion. The match started and they layed into each other, flurries of punches and kicks flew through the air with reckless abandon. Super moves would randomly fire as in their mad flurry of button and stick movements caused them to pull off the moves by accident.

The match was surprisingly close regardless, but it wasn't long before Izuku was on the loosing side. Mei had managed to juggle him in a corner and that really got him low. His health bar was flashing red and the portrait of All Might changed to a more injured look. Izuku went on the defensive, blocking and jumping away as much as he could.

But he was taking chip damage and he'd lose no matter what at this rate, he needed to get back in the fight. His fingers were a bur as he wailed on the buttons, hoping something he did would give him an edge. In the corner of his eye he noticed his super meter was full.

'If only I knew how to pull it off." He thought. And whether by luck, sheer randomness, or miracle Izuku managed to input the right combination of stick and button presses. The screen flashed with All Might's colors as the sprite of the number one hero threw an arm back.

**"UNITED STATES OF SMASH!"** Yelled the character before shooting forward with blinding speed. A pixilated earth-shattering shock-wave made the screen shake violently as All Might's fist connected with Endeavor doing enough damage to evaporate the rest of Mei's health bar and sending the beaten form of Endeavor flying off screen.

The machine exploded with fanfare as All Might's perfect smile was plastered on the screen.

**"Player 1 you were PLUS ULTRA!"** It said in a heavy compressed voice clip.

"I won?... I WON!" Izuku yelled, springing upwards with his fists raised to the sky. The two teens looked like they had just fought in real life, sweat dripping down their faces.

"Whoo!... I had no idea what I was doing, but that was a blast!" Mei cried as she jumped in place. Izuku wiped his forehead of sweat. "Yeah, same here. I'm just shocked I won."

Mei playfully punched him in the shoulder. "You sure did! You Smashed me good that last fight." Izuku rubbed where she punched, not that it hurt. "Come on, lets go see what else we can find!"

Mei lead him around as they went from machine to machine. Izuku found a racing game that had actual racing seats and steering wheels. They played a few races, all of which Mei won resoundingly. Most likely due to her actually having experience with driving, insane though it be. Midoriya on the other-hand was almost always dead last, crashing constantly.

He hoped that when he wouldn't be this bad when he started to drive in the real world. They moved on and played a few table games. Air Hockey was exciting for the both of them. Mei in her usual erratic behavior slammed the puck as hard as she could, sending it flying off the table more than once. Which did get them a warning from a staff member who nearly got a puck to the head. Mei toned her ferocity down, which worked well for Midoriya as he was now able to properly counter her. And with skillful shots and planning he managed to soundly defeat the monster.

Next was a rail shooter, an import from america. It was themed after a horror movie where a alien hoard was chasing a group of space marines. The goal was to make it through all stages while also beating the opposing player in points. Izuku did surprisingly well, but he couldn't hold a candle to Mei. Her hand eye coordination were unmatched and her reaction speed was crazy, she was a natural at the game. Her score easily dwarfed his and it wasn't unfair to say that she carried the two of them to victory over the alien swarm.

As they search for other games Izuku's eyes landed on the prize counter as they passed. There was a plethora of prizes ranging from incredibly cheap and tiny plastic toys to much larger and grander prizes like skateboards, RC cars, and large plushy toys.

All too far out his reach, but beside the prize counter was a claw machine filled with plushy dolls. Specifically his eyes landed on a cute pink chibi cat with yellow eyes and a similar green rabbit with a large smile next to it.

'Maybe Mei would like those.' he thought. He felt a grasp on his shoulder, it was the girl on his mind.

"Hey, I gotta find the girls room. Be right back!" She said as she trotted away from him, he quickly lost sight of her behind all of the machines and people. His attention turned back to the claw machine next to him. Digging a few tokens out he went to work.

He went after the pink cat first. Which proved to be difficult, not that it was surprising. Claw machines were notorious for their weak grab strength. Just a method they used to siphon money from you. He got a lucky break as the claw latched cleanly around the waist of the plushy. Izuku felt himself tense as the claw rose with his prize and rock side to side as it slid over to the prize chute. It dropped without issue and Midoriya took his prize and went right back to work getting the Green rabbit. However this was proving more difficult than even the cat. It just kept slipping from his grasp each time. He was so engrossed with catching the bunny he didn't notice Mei had returned.

"Having trouble?" She asked, causing the boy to jump from the sudden surprise. He let out a breath and turned to her.

"Yeah, I want to get that green rabbit but the claw just keeps slipping." Mei's yellow eyes shifted back and forth between him and the machine for a moment, a finger pressed to her lip as she pondered.

A mischievous grin formed on her face. "Let me take a jab at it, I'm sure I can make the machine to give up it's treasure." She pushed Izuku out of the way with her hip and put in a couple of tokens. The machine sprang to life, it's claw moving to where Mei wanted it to right above the bunny. She fidgeted the control stick almost constantly, making micro movements to make the claw just right. Then slamming the grab button the claw descended and wrapped perfectly around the green rabbit. It rose through the air and dropped in the prize chute no problem. Mei bent down and excitedly pulled her prize out. She bounced with joy. "Yeah! First try baby!"

Izuku gave her a small celebratory clap. "Wow Mei-san, that was amazing!" He pulled the pink cat out from under his arms and presented it to her, a slight blush on his face. "Here, I won this from the machine before you came back." He scratched his face embarrassedly."I was trying to get both of them for you, but I didn't have any luck with the rabbit." Mei looked at the cat and smiled, placing a hand on it and gently pushing it back towards him. "That's okay Izuku, but you should keep that cat. After all you were the one to win it, it's only fair you get to keep it."

Izuku's green eyes glanced down and then back to her. "You sure, I don't mind not having anything."

Mei rolled her eyes. "I'm sure." She tucked the bunny in her sling and wrapped her good arm around Izuku's, causing his face to go red slightly. "Alright, I had my fun. Why don't we go somewhere you want?" Izuku shakily nodded his head. "A-Alright."

The two exited the arcade, leaving behind the loud den of classic gaming. They calmly strolled through the mall, eyes still in wonder of the massive scope of such a place. Izuku kept his eyes peeled for any that really caught is eye. But currently it appeared they were in the fashion section of the mall. Stores upon stores of men's, women's, and children's. Everything from high fashion, to casual wear. And nearly all of them offered custom tailoring for people with mutant quirks like wings, horns, and tails.

They passed through without stopping. Izuku thought Mei might have been interested but she didn't even glance at the stores. Fashion just wasn't for her it seemed. Past the clothes section though was much more interesting to them. Gaming and comic books, as if to contrast the refined elegance of fashion stores just across from them. Izuku wasn't much of gamer, but he absolutely loved comic books. He got them when ever he could and he was always on the lookout for ones about obscure heroes. A big dumb grin formed on his face and in a role reversal it was he who lead the charge. He headed straight to the largest comic book store.

A place called The Secret Lair.

Life size statues of heroes lined the walls outside the store. All Might and Endeavor flanking each side of the door as expected of the two top heroes. All Might had his trademark smile, but Endeavor had a almost evil looking grin. His eyes looked down in contempt to any who saw him. Inside though was a veritable wonderland of comic books. Rows and rows of books, all grouped by their respective heroes. Each section had a large cardboard cutout of the hero of that comic. Toys and other merch lined ther shelves and the walls of the store. Izuku was ecstatic, he'd never been in a comic store this large. He'd only ever got his comics online or small independent stores.

"Whoa this place is awesome!" Midoriya said, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I hope they have some older comics." Chimed in Mei. Izuku gave her a surprised look. "Didn't think you'd be so into comics Mei-san."

Mei shot him back a determined look. "Of course I am! Comic books are an amazing source of inspiration for gadgets! Every comic I read I look for moments where the hero or villain could have turned the tides if only they had the right tool. I also love seeing heroes that use a lot of gadgets, I've even seen some comics that have my father's own in them!"

Izuku was thrilled that his friend loved comics, even if for a different reason. "Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Comics were always a source of motivation for me personally." He turned his gaze to the sea of books before him. "Why don't we split up and grab some comics, then meet back up and read them at a food court while we eat?"

Mei nodded in approval. "Sounds like a plan!"

The two went their separate ways, roaming the store like a pair of hawks looking for prey.

As usual Midoriya found himself initially drawn to the All Might section, which was far larger than any other individual hero. He skimmed a finger over the spines of the comics as he scanned for any that he didn't have, which for his extensive selection mean't that there wasn't many that he didn't have. It was mostly super rare or old comics that he didn't have. Those were collector items that he couldn't possibly afford.

He finally stopped on a comic, one he was sure that he didn't have. He pulled it out carefully and looked it over. All Might: World's Strongest, All Might vs El Macho . The cover was of All Might going up against a villain with what appeared a strength enhancement quirk. The villain's height and muscles were of ludicrous size, even dwarfing All Might himself.

But as the boy looked at the comic he found that he wasn't feeling how he should. Normally he'd be over the moon about a All Might comic that he didn't own. It was one of the funnest things for him, to open a fresh comic and discover a new experience, a piece of his hero's past. He'd read the comic over and over, notebook in hand ready to take any notes. He would spend whole weekends doing this sometimes. It was one of the few joys he could afford.

But he didn't feel that now, in Joy's place was a lack of interest. He wanted to feel, to regain that familiar sense of nostalgia. But looking at All Might's face all he could see was the sunken face of the man that crushed his dreams. His emotions swirled inside his heart, he didn't know what to feel. Ever since that day Izuku was of two minds. He still believed that All Might was the greatest hero and a beacon of hope, but that hope was tainted by the harsh reality that the hero dealt him. He was sure he didn't hate All Might, hate was too strong of a word. Hate was something Izuku just didn't do, he didn't even hate Bakugo. Something that he knew others would rightfully feel if they were bullied as hard as Izuku was by the explosive teen.

So Izuku was just stuck in this weird middle ground where he didn't hate All Might, but he also just couldn't get excited to see him anymore. But his mind was so conditioned over the years to be excited for All Might that he still found himself drawn to the hero, All Might was all he had for years. But every time his excitement would build it would instantly deflate as soon as he layed eyes on that heroic visage.

"Apathy..." He whispered, his voice devoid of emotion.

That was the feeling he had. He didn't care for All Might anymore, at lest not in the same way as he had before.

Would he never feel joy from reading a All Might comic?

Would he never feel excited to see his face on TV anymore?

Would he never feel that determination that welled up inside him when he saw the Symbol of Peace on his many posters in his room?

And those thoughts... they scared him.

A blur of pink flashed in the corner of his eye, taking his attention away from his thoughts for just a moment. He looked in the direction of the pink blur, he saw Mei bounding like a deer through the aisle further back in the store. She already had a few comics in her hand, while he wasn't even sure he had one. She had pure elation on her face as she skimmed through rows and rows of books.

"Mei..." He said under his breath.

He felt joy when she was around and he was excited when she was around, even if that excitement was due to her crazy antics or her lack of understanding personal space. He felt determination when he heard her passionate rants about her babies, and when she called him hero. She'd had such an impact on him in the brief few days he knew her.

**"You can be a hero." **

Her words from a few days ago echoed in his mind. The apathy in his heart melted away into determination as he remembered that moment.

He may have lost his Hero, but now he had someone who believed in him. Izuku took one final look at All Might and placed the comic back on the shelf.

He left the All Might section, eager to find something new. All Might had all the fans he could ever want, maybe he should turn his attention to those who didn't have enough.

He marched towards the back of the store, that's where he would find what he was looking for.

The store was larger than he anticipated, but he found himself in the very back left corner of the store, back where all of the least popular hero comics resided. This would be the perfect place to dive into the obscure. It's not that these heroes were bad, or even unpopular. It's just that they weren't popular comic book wise.

Back here the comics weren't grouped by an individual hero, due to the fact that most of these heroes didn't have enough comics to warrant a dedicated section. And so they were just lazily thrown onto shelves with no care for any particular order. And as he shuffled comics around he noticed that the added benefit o unpopular comics were that they were all dirt cheap. Meaning he could buy as many as he wanted.

He picked up a Wild Wild Pussycats comic, a old issue of Crimson Riot, two Gunhead/Snipe crossover comics. He had no rhyme or reason to these picks, only just that they were heroes that he wasn't too familiar with. He'd heard of all of them, in his countless hours of research, but he never gave them much thought. He continued his search, grabbing a couple of books about American Heroes too. Crow, Moon Beam, Captain Freedom, and The Hulking Monstro. It would be fun to learn more about how American heroes worked, he heard that a lot of them were mutant based. Especially the hero group known as the Z-Men, they were formed from the graduates of the top hero school in America from what he heard

He continued his quest, grabbing more and more obscure comics. But as he shifted through one particular pile he caught sight of a familiar smile. Quickly he uncovered it and there it was, that other smile that seemed to follow him everywhere.

It was a Black Fox comic.

He grabbed it tentatively, almost like it would bit him if he wasn't careful. It was old, quite old. Scratched all over and the spine was flayed out in some placed. He looked at the issues number.

Number-one out of two.

"There are only two comics?" He wondered. The other comic must be the one in the anthology book he got from Mei. He carefully slipped the comic in with the others. It was then he noticed that the Black Fox comic was sat atop several large comics, all with the title Vigilante. He picked one up, it was smaller than the one Mei had, but still larger than your average comic. The other two books were also Vigilante comics, he grabbed them both. Ever since he read Mei's comic he found himself more interested in illegal heroes.

Satisfied with his haul he made his way up towards the checkout counter, looking for Mei the whole time. He found her waiting near the counter, a fat stack of comics under her good arm. She cantered over once she saw he was coming. "I was wondering where you were Izuku, I thought maybe you'd left the store."

"Oh sorry, I was at the back of the store picking up some cheap comics." He said pointing to the large stack under his arm. "I even found a few more issues of that Vigilante comic, like the one you let me borrow."

"Oh cool! I just grabbed a bunch of random comics, more fun to not know what you're getting yourself into. Like a birthday present, never know what you're going to get!" Mei said in a cheery tone. Izuku laughed at how he had basically done the same thing, though he suspected that her reasoning wasn't quite the same as his.

The two checked out, and got their comics bagged. Izuku noticed the cashier giving him funny looks as he scanned the vigilante comics. Izuku payed it no mind, it wasn't worth thinking about. The teens made their way to the nearest food court, chatting about their hauls. Mei had a wild selection of heroes old and new, everything from All Might to Mount Lady. She even accidentally bought two of the same Midnight comic, to which she gave one to Izuku. He accepted it graciously but nervously as the comic's front page had Midnight in a very... provocative pose. Such was the norm with the Rated-R Heroine and the media. This was a comic that he'd have to hide when he got home.

When the wafting scent of delicious and unhealthy fast-food hit their noses they bolted towards the source as fast as they could. And the closer they got the more they heard a dull roar that only got louder and louder as they approached. They soon came upon what could only be considered fast-food heaven. A large cuircular plaza with a glass dome roof layed before them. Dozens of restaurants of every kind filled the edges of the plaza, serving everything from sushi, to burgers, to ice-cream. There were even Indian, Mexican, South American places too. In the center were perhaps a hundred people sitting down at tables, enjoying their meals and chatting about who knows what. Izuku and Mei's mouths watered just from the smell alone. Their eyes darted around to each restaurant, unsure of where they wanted to eat.

Their eyes landed on a American-style burger stand. Izuku had been to one a long time ago and he remembered how big the proportions were. "How about there?" He asked Mei, she nodded vigorously while licking her lips. Lead by their nose they made their way over to the heavenly scent.

"Well if it isn't Mei-Day." A sinister voice called to them out of view.

Mei instantly stopped in her tracks, faster than Izuku. They both turned around and saw a trio of two teenage boys and one girl, all around their age. The one in front with a devilish grin was very tall an thin, wearing elongated clothing to compensate for his tall stature. His blue hair was swayed to the right. Flanked to his left was a brutish looking boy with a shark-like smile, he was wearing a spiked leather jacket and his hair was up in a Pompadour to which he was constantly combing. On the opposite side was the girl. She had straight, raven-black hair that covered one eye. Her visible eye was slitted like a snake. And she was wearing a plain T-Shirt and jeans, which revealed she had black scales on the topsides of her arms. The snake girl's forked tongue slithered out every few seconds, tasting the air like a real snake. Behind her swayed a rattlesnake's tail, shaking ever so slightly.

All three were walking towards them menacingly.

Izuku glanced towards Mei, she was sweating and looking very nervous,

"Oh come on, why now." She whispered. How could this be happening? How could they be here right now of all times? She was having a blast with Izuku and now they were here to ruin it. Her fists tightened and her teeth clenched. She hoped that she'd only have to deal with them after school.

Mei wanted to run away, to grab Izuku by the hand and bolt from the mall as fast as possible. But just like all the other times she was stuck in place, her legs refusing to move. She was a deer in the headlights and a car was coming straight for her. She watched in horror as they stopped right in front of the two of them. She felt Izuku move closer to her which gave her some comfort.

The tall lanky one crossed his arms, his blue eyes looking them over like a predator looking at pieces of meat. "Look at this. Look. At. This. Who would have thought that we'd run into Little in big place like this?" His voice dripped with passive-aggressiveness. His eyes drifted down to her arm in it's sling, his grin widened. "Oh what happened Mei-Day? You finally try to off yourself? Were you too chicken to go all the way through with it?" His cronies laughed darkly behind him. "You couldn't be satisfied with nearly killing someone with your stupid experiments so you decided to try it on yourself, is that it!?"

Mei's breath shuddered and her heart started to race, old and dark memories came rushing back into her head once again. The fear, the pain, the guilt, it all came back again. She could remember the voices as if they were speaking to her right now.

**"Oh my god what happened!?"**

**"She's not breath, call an ambulance!"**

**"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO MEI, WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!?"**

Here eyes slammed shut as tears welled in her eyes. Her bag of comics fell to the ground with a thud, along with the green rabbit. Her now free hand clutched at her head, hoping that would make the voices stop. She didn't even notice that Izuku was now in front of her, separating her from her tormentor, but not the ones in her mind.

As soon as Izuku heard those words and saw Mei cry something clicked in within him. He had that same feeling he had when he saw Bakugo trapped by the Slime villain. He instantly threw himself between Mei and the bully. His green eyes stared up at the bully with such burning intensity. "Hey, leave her alone!" He yelled out, earning the brief attention of some people passing by. Not that they cared enough to stop what was going on.

Cold blue eyes focused in on Izuku, gazing down at him with a delighted grin on his face. "And who do we have here? I know everyone in Shujin Academy, and you're not one of them." He leaned in slightly, looking over Midoriya with a scrutinizing gaze. And then to Izuku's shock the tall boy's neck stretched forward, as if he was made of rubber. The menacing teen's face was uncomfortably close to Izuku's for a thankfully brief moment before returning back to it's more normal position.

The bully chuckled. "So... Mei-Day finally got a new toy." He looked past Izuku to Mei who was cowering behind her friend. "So Mei-Day, how many experiments have you run him through? He's still seems to be in one piece so it can't be that many." All three of them laughed.

Izuku was furious, more than he'd ever been in his life. "I said leave her alone! Or-" Izuku never finished his sentence instead he ended up slammed to the floor hard, knocking the wind out of him. His comics scattering across the ground. Izuku tried to get up but he found he was being held down by a hand, looking up he saw that it was the bully's hand. It was stretched unnaturally far, just like his neck had done a moment ago. Then two more shadows loomed over Midoriya, belonging to the snake-girl and the shark-mouth boy

"Or what?" Hissed the snake-girl, her mouth curved in a smug grin. Her tail rattled like a snake ready to attack. Midoriya felt the hand on his chest grab his shirt tightly and before he knew it he off the ground face-to-face with the antagonistic teen. Green eyes filled with anger stared into Blue eyes filled with hate. "She's not worth defending kid, she's not even worth the air she breaths. She's worthless trash!" Izuku struggled to get out of the tall teen's grip. "She's my friend, and I won't let you talk to her that way!" Izuku growled, he felt powerless.

Just like with the Slime villain.

"HEY! PUT HIM DOWN!" Yelled a unfamiliar voice. Everyone but Mei looked towards the new player in this game.

Standing only a few meters away was teenaged boy with spikey black hair, wearing a red hoodie and black shorts. He was bareing sharp pointed teeth and was extremely ticked off.

"And why the hell should I?" Replied the blue-haired bully.

The raven-haired boy's anger turned to smug satisfaction. "Because asshole, you're using your quirk in public." He then pointed to a pair of mall cops who were eyeing the situation, one of which was talking into a hand radio.

All three of the bully's faces instantly got nervous and without any warning Izuku was dropped to the ground, landing hard on his back.

"Come on guy's lets go, this garbage isn't worth getting in trouble for." Said the leader. The bully turned around as did his goons, but before the walked away the leader disturbingly turned his head a full one-hundred and eighty degrees. The blue-headed teen's eyes narrowed, scowling at Midoriya. When he spoke his voice was dark and serious. "Fair warning kid, you hang around Mei-Day long enough and you'll end up in a body bag." And with that threat he spun his head around and all three walked away.

When they were far enough away the mysterious boy who stopped them walked over and held out a hand to Midoriya. "Let me help you up dude." Izuku took the kind gesture without question and he was hauled onto his feet. Normally he would have thanked the stranger immediately, but all Izuku could think about was Mei. He turned to her and his heart dropped as he saw the tears flowing down her cheeks, he could hear her quietly sob. Izuku knew this all to well, painfully so.

He didn't really know what to do but to just... hold her.

He gently wrapped his arms around her and she collapsed into his embrace, crying into his shoulder. Any other time Izuku would be burning red with embarrassment at hugging a girl like this, but those thoughts couldn't be further from him at that moment.

He looked to their mysterious savoir, who was currently on one knee picking up their comic books and prizes. "Thank you for helping uh..."

"Eijiro Kirishima." The teen finished for Izuku as he stood up with their belonging in his hands. "And it's no problem." He eyed the direction of the departed bullies. "I can't stand asshole's like that, picking on someone smaller than them, making a girl cry. It's really un-fucking-manly if you ask me." His voice full of venom..

Midoriya smiled at the crude, but well-meaning boy. "Thank you Kirishima-san, I can't thank you enough."

Kirishima sighed. "No need dude, I was just doing what was right. After all how could I ever become a hero if I ignored someone in need?"

Izuku nodded with a smile, he figured someone acting so selfless would be inline to become a hero.

"Still... thanks. The name is Izuku Midoriya by the way, and this is Mei Hatsume." He unwrapped one of his arms from Mei and held out a hand to which Kirishima firmly grasped and shook it... a little too hard. "Nice to meet you Midoriya-san, just wished we could have met at a better moment." Izuku agreed with a nod.

There was a brief, awkward silence between the two, Kirishima broke it first. "So... I was just about to get something to eat when I noticed your situation. Would you... like to eat with me? Maybe it'll help put this mess behind us."

Izuku looked down at Mei, who had thankfully stopped crying and was breathing normally again. He pulled away from her slightly, but not enough to fully let her go. "Do you still want to get something to eat Mei-san?" He asked her gently. It took her a moment but she quietly nodded. He smiled and faced Kirishima. "Sure."

Kirishima smiled widely. "Well alright then, I'm starving and eating is always better with company."

They trio walked towards the burger stand that Izuku and Mei were originally going to, it just so happened that it's where Kirishima was going to eat too before he stopped the bullies. Their pace was slow as Izuku still held Mei while she leaned into him for support, Kirishima carried their bags despite Izuku's insistence that he could carry them. When they got to the stand they picked a table, Izuku set a still quiet Mei down and sat with her while Kirishima went to go order for the three of them. He came back a few minutes later with a massive tray full of food, setting it down easy on the table as to not startle Mei.

Izuku and Mei had simple cheese burgers, fries, and a soda each. Kirishima on the other-hand had enough food for two, maybe three people. "Dig in." Said Kirishima, trying to sound cheerful to raise the mood. The spiky boy layed into his meal like a shark in a feeding frenzy. Izuku was much more normal, taking normal bites and washing them down with soda. Mei was by far the slowest out of all of them. She took small bites and still ever quiet. Her eyes looked distant, as if staring at something impossibly far away. Izuku was worried sick about her, but he was glad she was eating at the very least.

Kirishima finished his second burger and let out a satisfied breath. "So...uh... to break the ice. Can I say Midoriya-san that the way you stood up to that asshole was real manly." He emphasize the work manly by holding up both his arms and flexing them. Izuku shyed away a bit, he was called many things but manly was never one of them. "It's nothing. Like you said said to me, I was just doing what was right."

Kirishima shook his head as he bit into his third burger. "Nah' man. It takes real courage to stand up to someone much bigger than you, even more so when you're outnumbered." Izuku appreciated the praise despite Kirishima eating with his mouth full.

"Yeah..." Izuku chewed on a few fries, mulling over what Kirishima just said. Thinking back Izuku was shocked at himself to put it mildly.

He'd never been that aggressive with anyone in his life, even his snap at his mother last night was far out of the norm of him. It was like he was a whole different person for a few minutes. His blood just boiled when the bully said Mei was worthless, like someone had flipped a switch.

Izuku looked over to Mei, who was only a quarter through her burger.

'She isn't worthless.' He thought.

That bully though, the way he talked and the words he said. He and Mei clearly had history, no bully talks like that without having a reason. He knew from first hand experience what that felt like. This wasn't just some random one-off attack, this was a nearly regular event.

And it was personal... very personal.

He would save his thoughts for later, now was the time to decompress after such a situation.

After finishing his burger he shifted his attention back to Kirishima, who had miraculously was on his fourth burger. "Where do you put it all Kirishima-san?" Izuku gave him a incredulous look. The spiky teen halted his assault on his food, swallowing the last bit he was chewing. "I work out a lot, and the hunger that brings on is intense." He stuffed more burger into his mouth. "I really shouldn't be eating this much, but damn was I hungrier than normal today." He wolfed down the last of the burger and started on his now cold fries.

Izuku had already finished his fries by the time Kirishima started his.

"So... Kirishima-san. Can I know a bit more about you? Like, what's your quirk for instance?"

The black-headed teen practically inhaled the last of his fries, then took a drink of his soda. "Sure. My quirk isn't anything cool or flashy though. It's called: Hardening. It allows me to harden any part of my body, making it as strong as steel. I can also sharpen any part that is already hardened, I gain strength, and I can resist heat. Downside is that maintaining it after heavy hits is really draining. Another reason why I eat so much." Kirishima sounded almost disinterested, like he had the most boring quirk in the world.

Izuku couldn't help but be confused. "Not cool or flashy? Kirishima-san your quirk sounds amazing! With that kind of quirk you could be a real powerhouse of a hero!" Izuku was on the edge of his seat, he'd be over the moon if he had that kind of quirk. Even with the downside.

Kirishima didn't seem all that enthused by Izuku's words. "Yeah I know, I can be a tank. But it's not what I wanted as a quirk, I was hoping for something more... exciting. Like lazor eyes, or controlling electricity. My quirk just makes me look like a shattered rock." He threw his arms behind his head and stared at the glass dome above them. "I wanna stand out you know, like a bunch of other Pro-Heroes. A lot of them have really flashy powers or moves, like All Might, Endeavor, or Kamui Woods."

Izuku could understand the want to stand out, and a lot of Pros had flashy powers. But he just couldn't believe that Kirishima didn't like his quirk because it wasn't flashy enough. "Well I think you're really lucky to have a quirk like that Kirishima-san, I wish I had a quirk that was something so powerful and useful."

Kirishima actually smiled and turned his gaze back to Izuku. "Thanks. So what is your quirk anyway Midoriya-san?"

Izuku mentally kicked himself, he'd practically walked right into that. He thought about when he lied to Mei, he hated it. But he just couldn't run the risk of losing another potential friend. So against his better judgement and against everything telling him this was going to backfire some day... he lied... again.

"I... don't wanna talk about it. My... quirk isn't something I'm particularly proud of, it's... a touchy subject to say the least." God he felt like scum lieing to someone so good-natured. But it seemed to work as Kirishima backed off.

"No worries man, I've known people who feel the same way you do. I won't ask again."

Izuku relaxed, it may have been dirty to lie like that. But he dodged two bullets, since if he told Kirishima the truth he would also reveal to Mei that he lied. And given her condition right now he didn't want anything more on her mind. Izuku and Kirishima continued their chat while Mei finished eating.

Izuku took a sip of his soda. "So you enrolling to UA then?"

"Yeah, I've been dreaming of going there for years. What about you?"

Izuku shyed away, his hands idly fidgeted. "I've always wanted to go to UA too. Be a hero you know? But my... quirk isn't something that I could be a hero with."

Kirishima nodded, he knew plenty of people with quirks not suited for hero work. "But you can still go for General Studies, it would be just like regular High School."

Izuku shook his head. "I've already thought of that and I decided that it wouldn't work. I've dreamed of being a hero since I was four years old. But having to watch from the sidelines as other students became heroes..." He trailed off, his voice dissipating into a whisper.

Kirishima sighed, He couldn't blame Midoriya for feeling that way. Being in General Studies would be like torture, watching day after day as your classmates got to live the dream you couldn't have. Hell if he made it into UA then he would be living Izuku's dream.

"Yeah... I can see what you mean. So you're going to a regular High School then?"

Izuku nodded weakly."Yeah, I go to Aldera Junior High right now. So I'll be going to Aldera High, which is right down the block."

That brought the mood down a bit, not what Izuku had intended when he started the coversation.

Despite his own somber feelings on the matter he was happy that someone as good-natured as Kirishima would be going to UA. A strong quirk like his would get him in for sure and it would let go far. He was sure Kirishima would be a Pro some day for sure.

Izuku finished his soda and ate a few straggling fries.

Every so often Izuku would check on Mei, she was quite but seemed to be recovering. She actually started to talk again, if only in short responses. To which Izuku was immensely happy about, seeing Mei so quiet was weird. Maybe he could coax her into speaking more if he started a conversation to where she would be interested.

"So... have you thought about any gadgets or gear that could enhance your quirk? I mean every Pro uses custom gear to compensate for something, even All Might. His outfits need to be insanely durable to withstand even his weakest attacks." He snuck a glance at Mei, who seemed to perk up at the mention of gadgets.

Kirishima stroked his chin, pondering the question for a moment. "I guess I never have, why do you ask?"

Izuku smiled, Kirishima gave the right response. Hopefully his plan would work and he could start getting old Mei back.

"Well I ask because Mei is a genius with gadgets and gear, she can make just about anything." And just as Izuku hoped she had a positive reaction. She was smiling a bit and some life came back to her eyes, and... was she blushing? Izuku didn't think he ever saw her blush before. But all the same he got a good reaction, so he decided to keep it going.

Izuku nudged his head towards Mei while still keeping eye contact with Kirishima, giving a stealthy thumbs up as to not let Mei in on his ruse. He only hoped that the boy understood what he was getting at.

Kirishima was perplexed at Midoriya's stunt, and was seriously wondering if Midoriya was having some sort of sizure. But he thankfully caught on when he saw Mei smiling. His eyes widened when he put the clues together and a toothy grin formed on his face. Kirishima looked over to the girl and gave Mei a warm smile.

"Y-Yeah, I mean you'd have to be a huge idiot if you became a Pro and didn't use custom gear. I've uh..." He paused as he had to quickly come up with something. "I... uh. I have a bad time with shoes and boots when I harden my legs and feet. Due to how it alters my body I usually destroy my shoes when I do. So... I need footwear that can survive me powering up." They both looked at Mei while trying not to be obvious about it. They quickly had to advert their looks because she had surprisingly lifted her head and was looking in their direction.

'This is working! We gotta keep going!' Izuku thought happily.

"Yeah I can see how that would be a problem, is there anything else you can think of that you would need as a Pro?"

Kirishima gave Midoriya a understanding nod. "Yeah, transportation. A lot of the top Pros have quirks that allow them to move through the city pretty fast. But my quirk doesn't help with that, in fact it makes it worse since I'm heavier when powered up. So when I become a Pro I'm gonna need wheels. I've always wanted a tricked out badass American-style motorcycle You know with all sorts of attachments like like weapons, traps... and oh! And a jet booster!"

The two heard an excited gasp coming from Mei, they both smiled as they saw her practically on the edge of her seat. What they didn't expect was Mei to suddenly bolt from her seat, run up to the burger stand and demanded a piece of paper and a pen. The poor cashier was so startled by the manic girl's request he rushed off to the back of the kitchen to get she needed without question.

"I think the plan worked too well." Izuku whispered, Kirishima nodded. Regardless they were both happy to see Mei up and about. They watched as Mei rushed back to their table, nearly tripping over herself and almost knocking a few people over. She immediately sat down and began sketching, mumbling incoherently as she drew out a sketch of a motorcycle, just as Kirishima had described.

The boy in question was floored by her hyperactive behavior, he leaned in and whispered to Izuku. "Is this normal?" Izuku simply nodded with a smile. Kirishima's eyes shifted between the two. "If you say so." They sat in silence as Mei went about her creation, sometimes stopping to ask Kirishima what else he would need on the bike.

When she was done the piece of paper was covered in various notes, drawings, and crossed out ideas. She presented the paper to Kirishima who gasped with excitement. On the page was a brutal and menacing looking motorcycle with massive armored wheels that could withstand his quirk-added wieght and were bulletproof, front-facing mortar launchers that fired everything from nets to tear gas. On the back were two miniature get engines, a passenger seat, a anti-theft device that electrocuted anyone trying to steal it. Numerous gadgets that he didn't even recognize.

And to top it off... cup holders and a heated seat.

"Whoa... Hatsume-san this looks awesome! When I go Pro would you be able to make this for me?"

Mei looked absolutely giddy, a great change from her depressed state. "You know it! When you become Pro you'll be at the top of my list for commissions!"

Kirishima looked back down at the paper with a big dumb grin on his face. "Oh man thank you Hatsume-san!"

Mei chuckled and pointed a thumb at Izuku. "Just like I told him, I don't do honorifics. Just call me Mei. He still insists on calling me Mei-san though for some reason."

Kirishima had a confused look on his face for a moment and his eyes switched back and forth between the two. "Oh, so that's just how it is with you two? The way you two act and use each other's first names I thought you two were dating."

Izuku's heart did flips in his chest and he sunk in his chair. 'Not him too.' he groaned inwardly. Mei was the one to set things straight oddly enough which surprised Izuku. "No we're just friends." The black-haired teen shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, sorry if I caused any embarrassment."

Midoriya sat up straight and let out a deep breath, calming his nerves. "It's okay, no harm done." He looked over to Mei with a bright smile. "So Mei-san, how are you feeling?"

"A lot better, this really got my mind off things." Her tone was soft, but cheerful.

"You wanna go home?"Midoriya asked.

Mei thought for a moment, and looked at the two. She didn't seem sure right off. But thinking about everything that happened today she felt it was time."Yeah. It's been a long day."

Izuku got up from his seat and grabbed the food try. "I'll go drop this off and we'll get going." He was gone but a moment, and when he returned he grabbed his and Mei's bags. Kirishima and Mei got up. Izuku turned to leave with Mei but Kirishima stopped them. "Hey... you guys want me to tag along. Just in case those asshats come back?"

Izuku and Mei looked at each other and back to the spiky teen. "So long as it's not trouble for you, yeah that would be great."

Kirishima slammed his fists together. "It's no problem, they'll be sorry if they come back."

Izuku gave him a nod and the trio walked out of the mall and to the subway station, the sun was already setting when they finally got outside the massive mall. Thankfully there was no reappearance from the bullies. They grabbed their train tickets and stopped at the stairs that lead to the different platforms. Kirishima held out a hand to Izuku. "This is where we part ways my friends."

The green-haired boy gratefully grabbed the hand and gave him a hearty shake. "Thanks for your help today Kirishima-san."

"All in a days work for a future hero right? Also why don't we exchange numbers? You two are pretty cool and I'd love to hang out with you again." He pulled out a bright red phone that had some cracks on the screen and case.

Izuku looked to Mei for confirmation, when she nodded the two teens whipped out their cellphones and all three exchanged numbers and addresses.

Kirishima put his cracked phone away. "Awesome! Oh and uh... Mei. If you have any trouble with those bullies, call Midoriya-san and I and we'll come running and kick their asses right Midoriya-san?"

Izuku was not prepared for that. He wasn't expecting Kirishima to offer protection, or that he expected Izuku to fight. But on the other hand those bullies showed they had the capacity for violence when the leader slammed him on the ground and then lifted him off his feet. If they were willing to get violent, then that left little choice in Izuku's mind.

"Y-Yeah!"

"That's what I wanted to hear! There is nothing manlier than defending a friend!" Kirishima bolstered, flexing his arms.

Mei wringed her hands nervously, unnoticed by either of her male friends. "Thanks guys. But I'm sure it won't come to that."

Kirishima crossed his arms and gave Mei a intense look. "Still. Call us if you're in trouble." He glanced at the stairwell. "Alright, I gotta go, I'll see you guys later."He waved them goodbye, and they did the same as Kirishima went downstairs to his own station while Mei and Izuku got on theirs.

The two sat in a comfortable silence on the train ride home. Mei hugged her rabbit plushy firmly as she leaned against her friend. Izuku was embressed a little, but he was more glad that Mei seemed to be back to her old self.

As they walked down Mei's home street though, the encounter with the bullies played through his mind over and over again. With Mei on the upward emotional recovery he no longer had to worry about her as much. So as it often did his analytical mind needed something else to dissect. The whole event was such a hostile moment. He never encounter such bullying that bad that wasn't directed at him. What bothered him most was two very specific lines that the blue-haired bully said. They disturbed him greatly.

**"You couldn't be satisfied with nearly killing someone with your stupid experiments so you decided to try it on yourself, is that it!?"**

**"Fair warning kid, you hang around Mei-Day long enough and you'll end up in a body bag." **

Those words floated through his mind, the context and weight behind them were heavy. They were so loaded with emotion, so much anger, so much hate. He glanced over to Mei and for a brief moment a terrible thought slithered it's way into his head.

'Did Mei really almost kill someone?'

He didn't want to believe it, but based on how the bully's words and Mei's reaction. It seemed like that was the case. And to be completely honest with himself he couldn't exactly say the possibility wasn't there. Mei had a clear disregard for her own safety, at least to an extent. Her stunt with the gauntlet yesterday and if her comment about replacing her arm with a robot one was anything to go by. Even though she said the robot arm was a joke.

He hoped to god it was a joke.

But right now he didn't have all the facts, all he had was the bully's own words and a vague sense of context. And he wasn't about to open an wound that was already mending. What ever had happened though it clearly left heavy scars on Mei's soul. She seemed to just... shut down.

'Just like I did.' He realized.

She acted the same way he did after he was rejected by All Might. Izuku felt deflated at the realization, like he was suddenly drained of energy. It was like he saw himself when he saw her so distraught.. And the more he thought about it the more he saw how the attack on Mei was disturbingly similar to how Bakugo would attack him.

The threats, the physical violence, calling her worthless... even the talk of suicide.

It was so surreal thinking about it. The only difference between his and Mei's experience with bullies was that he was there to stand up for Mei, and so did Kirishima.

He never had anyone stand up for him.

Maybe that's why he got so angry, why his anger boiled over watching them tear down Mei. Nobody was ever there for him, no one ever came to his rescue. Nobody cared, or was too scared to go against Bakugo. He was the star of the school after all, he was the strongest in class and if anyone from their school was gonna be a hero.

It would be him.

So why get on his bad side by sticking up for Izuku? But he wouldn't be the same, he wouldn't let Mei suffer the same fate. He could handle Bakugo's bullying, he had for years. But that didn't mean Mei had to suffer her bully alone anymore. She saved him from his own despair and gave him a glimmer of hope.

He would be there for Mei.

As much as he could he would be there for her.

When they reached her house he walked her inside, setting her bag down in the kitchen while she went to the living room and flopped on the couch. He took out her comics and her green bunny, putting them in a neat and orderly pile on the kitchen table. When he was finished he turned around and walked towards the trash can to thrown out the shopping bag. But his eye caught something sitting on the kitchen counter and he felt himself freeze in place.

It was that smile again.

Somehow that smiling mask was in the kitchen.

"But how?" He whispered to nobody. He slowly walked over to the mask and picked it up, the last time he'd seen the mask it was still in the cart in the workshop.

He felt it over in his hands, the smooth texture was cool to the touch. If he had to guess he'd say it made out of something super durable and light. Probably some sort of poly-carbonate plastic. Something else he noticed about the mask was that it was cleaned, freshly so. The dirt and grime from being on the beach had been washed away and now returned to it's former glory. The white of the smile was contrasted brilliantly with the black outlines. The eyes were crystal clear, almost like there was nothing there at all. The strap that could secure the mask to a persons's head was brand new, made of what seemed to be black leather. He flipped the mask over, now looking at the inside. As he looked it over and noticed a small engraving near the top, where the mask would rest against the forehead.

"Nanakorobi yaoki"

It was a proverb: Fall seven times, get back up eight.

The basic meaning was that you should never give up, that you should rise more times than you fall.

He walked back into the living-room with it in hand, his eyes still fully glued to the inscription.

"Mei-san. I found this in the kitchen, it's that mask that was in your cart of scrap from the beach. Do you know anything about it?" Mei got up from the couch and walked over, taking the mask into her good hand an inspecting it for herself. "No, looks like a normal mask to me. I... actually... don't remember picking this up at the beach." Her words came slow as she tried to recall ever picking the mask up. It was just in the back of her cart, maybe she picked it up without realizing it?

"Did you bring it up from the warehouse?" Izuku asked. He was starting to feel uneasy.

Mei shrugged her shoulders. "Nope, and the only other person who has access from the warehouse is my dad. So it must have been him." She handed the mask back to Izuku. The boy idly spun the mask in his hands, unsure about what to do. This mask seemed to follow him everywhere he went, regardless if it was physically there. He just couldn't seem to escape it, maybe it was time he did something. "Mei-san, do you mind if I take this home with me?"

The inventor shrugged her shoulders, seemingly indifferent. "Sure, I'm not gonna use it for anything."

Midoriya stared back down at the mask before setting it aside, now putting his full attention on Mei. "I'm gonna be heading home. You gonna be okay Mei-san." Mei's yellow eyes drifted away for a moment before looking back into Izuku's. "Yeah, my arm is feeling better. I should probably be fine by tomorrow."

She was deflecting, the boy could tell. Her tone, her body language, the slight quiver in her eyes. He knew all of these intimately well from his own personal experience. It was a habit he formed whenever his mom asked if he was okay or how his day at school was. The surreal feeling from earlier had returned.

"That's not what I meant Mei." His voice soft but firm.

The girl looked away, knowing she'd been caught. "I know." Her voice barely above a whisper. She moved closer, uncomfortably close for Izuku. Without a word she hugged the boy gently with her good arm, resting the side of her face on his chest. She could feel him tense from her touch, which was odd to her.

It was a simple hug after all.

"It was scary you know, it always if when he's around." She never said a name but Izuku knew exactly who she was talking about. Mei was silent for a moment, just allowing herself to hear the elevated heartbeat of her friend. She pulled away a little and tilted her head up at a blushing Izuku. Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was curved in a cheery smile.

"But my hero was there to save me again!" She opened her eyes, for a brief moment there was a telling sign of sadness. But that quickly washed away and a look of determination shown within them."I promise that I'll repay the favor one day."

Izuku shifted his body, not comfortable with Mei's declaration. "That's great Mei-san, and I appreciate it. But you don't need to repay me, helping each other is apart of being friends." Mei gave him a toothy grin. "Yeah, I know. But I'm gonna do it anyway, whether you want me to or not." She let out a mischievous laugh.

She let go of her hero and backed away, placing her good hand on her hip. She looked him square in the eye, her smile still firmly planted on her face. "And you don't have to worry about me being a sulk about all this, nothing keeps me down long you know. "When you get knocked down, you just gotta get back up". That's what my father always told me." Her mood was high, excitement filled her eyes. There was conviction in her voice.

Outwardly Izuku was smiling, glad to see her smile, glad to she her determination. Inwardly the gears in his mind were turning, thinking about what Mei just said. The phrase her dad taught her was almost exactly the same as the proverb in the mask, and the feeling that gave him was a weird one that he couldn't discribe.

It was almost... ominous.

He would have to think about this later.

"I'm glad to hear that Mei-san. but if you ever want to talk, or need help just call."

Mei smiled and lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, giving the boy an embarrassed fright. "I'll hold you too that." She pulled away quickly, slightly bouncing in place. When the startled boy recovered he let out a nervous cough and picked the mask back up. After they said their goodbyes to each other Izuku walked out of Mei's home, his bag of comics and pink cat prize in one hand and the smiling mask in the other.

Unknown to him a figure stood on a nearby rooftop. A pair of feminine eyes watched and followed the boy as he made his way to the train station.

A smile formed on her lips. "You've taken your first step kid, we'll see if you're willing to take another."


	4. Weakness

Chapter 4: Weakness

Rain was beautiful and calming. The patter of water splashing against the roof, the cool moist air, it soothed the soul. At least it did for Izuku as he sat next to a open window in the Aldera Junior High cafeteria. He idly ate his meal, a bento box full of home made food his mother had prepared for him. Filled with seasoned chicken, white rice, sushi rolls, and some chopped up fruit. And as much as he loved his mother's cooking, he was more preoccupied by the notebook in front of him. This was the case more often than not, a familiar sight to anyone who knew Izuku at school. It was one of his many hero notebooks, filled with notes and sketches of many heroes.

He'd made over a dozen of these, "Hero Analysis for the Future" he titled them. He was currently on his thirteenth volume, the one Bakugo had unceremoniously burned and tossed out a window only a few days prior. It's edges scorched and discolored, but still usable.

With pencil in hand he was sketching his latest entry, it was about a curtain pink-haired girl. The emotional roller-coaster he'd been on in the last few days had not only caused him to slack in his school work, but also forget to add Mei's entry into his notebook. And now with Kirishima as a friend he'd have to work on his too in the future.

On the right page he had wrote down her name, stats, and a description of her quirk with all of his thoughts on it. Everything from basic everyday uses, to roles it could serve in critical situations.

On the left page was a sketch of Mei herself, though only her face as that was the only part of her body that her quirk effected. He stared at his drawing, smiling unknowingly as he drew the curves of her face, and her distinctive eyes. He drew her with a enthusiastic face with a wide smile, an expression she often wore.

Izuku was no artist, he knew that. He would often just draw rudimentary figures of each hero, just enough to make them recognizable. But for Mei he found himself taking his time, trying to get her face just right. He would erase and redraw any line that he felt was out of place or didn't look right.

The end result was a much more detailed and clear picture than any of his previous works. He blew off the graphite dust and eraser shavings that had accumulated. A satisfied sigh escaped him as he looked it over, happy with what he'd made.

The moment was ruined as the bell rang, lunch was over. Izuku looked to his bento box and was shocked that he still had more than half a box left. Closing his notebook and wolfed down the rest of his food, even going so far as to eat it as he walked the hall to his next class. Earning him some odd looks from his peers

He came to a stop outside his classroom door and ate the last bit of chicken and rice he had before closing the box up and stuffing it into his backpack. He wiped his mouth of any lingering food and walked into class. Most of his classmates were already done getting their supplies out, a few straglers were still chatting as they got ready for class.

While he made his way towards his seat Izuku noticed that a certain seat was empty, it was Bakugo's. And as he stared at that empty seat if dawned on the boy that he hadn't seen the explosive teen all day. Not in any of the classes they shared or lunch. The boy was simply missing. This disturbed Izuku for some unknown reason, it's not like Bakugo never skipped class or was home sick. But for some reason Izuku felt... off looking at the empty seat.

He finally finished getting to his seat and got prepared for class. Just as he opened up his notebook the classroom door flung open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Everyone's attention was glued to the entrace, including Izuku.

In came Bakugo, but something was very wrong.

Gasps, murmurs, and whispers encompassed the students as Bokugo limped into the classroom. In both arms were crutches that he used to slowly make his way through the rows of desks and to his seat. The extent of his injuries were made clear to everyone when he passed them. His right lower leg was in a cast as well as his left forearm, and a medical eye-patch over his left eye. He had bandages around his good hand that went up and under his school uniform sleeve.

The whole class was silent, even the teacher. The only sound that could be heard was the clanking of the crutches and the shuffling of Bakugo's casted leg. He lowered himself as gently as he could into his chair, then set aside his crutches and pulled out his schoolbag. All the while everyone's eyes were still glued to him. After he got out his text book and folder he finally had enough.

With as much force as he could allow himself he slammed his hand down onto his desk and glared at the rest of the class with his one visible angry eye. "THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL STARING AT!?" He screamed. His voice reverberated through the room, even the classes next to them could hear it. It took a few seconds before anyone reacted, they were caught like a deer in headlights. When the shock wore off everyone looked away at once, almost like there were in sync. Their eyes ripped away from the angry teen and towards the front of the class.

Everyone except Izuku who was still in shock over what he was seeing.

He'd never ever in his life saw Bakugo hurt in any meaningful way. No broken bones, burns, or even so much as a sprained ankle. Bakugo just seemed... indestructible, like nothing could or would ever harm him to any serious extent.

But here he was, sitting only a few desks away. Half of his limbs were in casts and had struggled to even get to his seat. It was too unreal, it didn't seem possible. And then a feeling came over Izuku, he'd felt this way before. He already knew what it felt like to see someone you thought invincible brought down so harshly.

It reminded him of All Might, of that sickly skeletal form he saw on that rooftop.

"Stop staring Deku or I'll burn your eyes out of their sockets!" Came Bokugo's voice, snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. The stunned boy blinked in confusion a few times before the message fully sunk in and he whipped his head around.

The rest of the school day passed without any major incident. However through out the day Izuku would steal glances at the injured teen. And every time he would see Bakugo staring back, his crimson eyes piercing his soul. There were however moments where he was distracted by the many questions other students had.

He told them all the same thing.

"Fuck off it's none of your business!"

When the final bell rung Izuku had packed up his textbooks, notes, and today's homework assignment. Everyone else did the same, same as everyday. Out of the corner of his eye Izuku noticed Bakugo had left class first and in a hurry too. Normally Izuku wouldn't think twice of his former friend bolting from class, but with his injuries it was shocking to say the least. He'd been so slow and careful when he came in to class. But now he was out the door like the room was on fire. Izuku rationalized it as him wanting to avoid more questions, he himself was guilty of wanting answers same as the others. But he knew confronting his old friend was a recipe for disaster.

So he let it go and headed out of class once he was finished and grabbed his umbrella, the rain hadn't let up once since this morning. He rounded the corner in the hallway that lead to the front entrance of the school, he was eager to get home and catch up on his studies.

He wondered what Mei was doing right now, if she was leaving school just as he was. The thought of Mei and school had made memories of the previous day roll through his mind.

"I hope she doesn't run into those bullies." He whispered. No one around him heard what he'd said, not that any of them would care if they did. He just couldn't seem to get that horrible encounter out of his head. Even when he'd gotten home last night he still thought of it, even as he went to bed. And each time all he could feel was the anger and helplessness that filled him in the heat of the moment. He stood up to the bullies for Mei, more than he'd ever stood up for himself. Sure he was scared, terrified even. But more so than anything he was angry and tried in vane to fight back. But just like with the Slime villain he was powerless to stop it, just thinking about it made him angry.

Mei said he could be a hero, that he was a hero to her.

And that made him happy, more so than he'd been since the days before he learned he was quirkless. He wanted to be a hero, her hero, a hero for all.

But as he looked down to his hands all he felt was weakness. How could he fulfill that dream with no power? How could he stand up to Mei's bullies again? Kirishima wouldn't always be there to back him up or save him.

He promised to protect her, but how could he?

He didn't know, he honestly didn't know. But he would find a way.

So engrossed was he with his own thoughts that the boy was caught off-guard when a familiar hand roughly grabbed his arm. With great force Izuku was dragged into a empty classroom and thrown to the floor by his assailant. His backpack slid across the floor, having come off when he was tossed. Face down Izuku tried to orient himself after being blindsided. His world spun and he had a ache in his right elbow after it broke his fall. He grabbed his head and closed his eyes, hoping that would help.

"Deku." a deep voice growled.

Green eyes shot open, and a panic started to take root in his heart. Any confusion the boy had was wiped away in a second as a chill ran up Izuku's spine, he became distressingly aware of who that voice belonged to. Not that he was surprised, it was foolish of him to believe Bakugo wouldn't do anything to him today.

Even as injured as he was.

Izuku flipped himself over and sat up, supporting himself with one arm. A single line of sweat snaked down his face as he looked up at Katsuki Bakugo. Despite his injuries the teen radiated a anger and superiority, like the casts on his limbs were nothing. He used only one crutch to support himself, the other set down on a table next to him. His teeth were baring in a crooked sneer, and a wild look in his eye. He only looked this way when he was really pissed off.

Izuku just sat there, waiting for anything to happen. In all honesty he could have got up and ran, it would have been easy too with Bakugo in such a state. But years of experience told Izuku that running was always a mistake, it was like turning your back on a hungry tiger.

It felt like ages before Bakugo spoke again. "Why?" His voice was low and guttural, like a beast.

Midoriya didn't know how to respond, what was going on?

"W-What do you mean "Why?" K-Kacchan?" He tried to be as careful as possible with ow he worded things, to not trip any emotional landmines as it were. But nothing Izuku could ever say wouldn't set off the bomb before him.

Bakugo's eye twitched and before Izuku could do anything the blond teen was on him. Kacchan loomed over him like a predator, a large bandaged hand grabbed at Midoriya's shirt. Izuku's breath hitched with panic as he could feel his shirt getting damp from Bakugo's explosive sweat.

Any source of ignition would be disastrous.

"WHAT DO I MEAN!? What the FUCK do you think I mean Deku!?" The crazed teen barked, a vein on his forehead pulsed with blood.

Izuku was still at a loss, he had absolutely no idea what Bakugo was getting at. He hadn't interacted since school last Friday. This was completely aberrant behavior for his childhood friend. Normally there would at least be some trigger, no matter how small that would cause him to be this way. But to the boy pinned to the floor he couldn't think of anything that he personally did other than staring at him earlier. But would the really warrant this kind of reaction?

Growing slightly bolder he asked again. "I have n-no idea what you're talking about Kacchan. What do you m-mean?"

Bakugo gripped tighter onto Izuku's shirt and closed the distance between his face and his victim's. "What do I mean! LOOK AT ME YOU BASTARD, WHY WAS I WEAK LIKE YOU!?" Izuku didn't... no couldn't reply fast enough for the blond menace, he was still in shock from the situation.

Weak? What made Bakugo feel weak?

The pissed off teen growled, saliva began to drip from the corner of his mouth like a rabid dog. He slammed Izuku's back against the ground, knocking some of his breath out of his lungs. "WHY!?" Kacchan yelled. He lifted his victim up and slammed him against the floor again and again. "WHY!?" he repeated each time. All Izuku could do was hold onto Bakugo's hand and keep his head elevated so it didn't hit the floor. Each time the green-haired boy's back connected with the floor he noticed it was getting less intense with time. Bakugo's strength was failing him and he steadily grew weaker and weaker until he finally didn't have enough to keep going. He let go of Izuku's nitroglycerin soaked shirt, causing the boy to fall down on his now sore back one last time. As for the explosive teen he lost his balance trying to stand back up and fell onto his backside, his crutch clattered to the tiled floor, tears running down the sides of his face.

"Why?" He groaned between sobs.

With a groan Izuku sat himself up with some effort, his shoulders were killing him and probably bruised. Nothing completely out of the ordinary when dealing with Kacchan, as sad as that might be. But when he finally put his attention back on his attacker his breath shuddered. He almost felt like crying himself as he layed witness to the sobbing mess that was his old friend.

What had happened to Kacchan?

Mustering up some courage Izuku would ask that question.

"What happened Kacchan?" He said in the gentle but firm voice. Bakugo flinched at the question, like someone had just stuck a needle in his arm. His crying stopped and his despair turned in to anger once again. "You really don't know... do you?" His voice was hushed, but heavily laced with annoyance.

With Herculean effort Bakugo stood up, sweat pouring down his face as he tried desperately to stand up by himself. His muscles shook like a support beam under too much pressure. Guttural groans, and hushed swears filled the room. Izuku was floored, he'd never seen his friend struggle this hard in all the years he knew him. But here he was, shaking like a leaf caught in a storm, barely able to hold on.

When he was finally standing straight he grabbed the crutch that laid on a desk, the added support allowing his body to relax.

After resting for a moment he began to lean forward and attempt to bend down to pick up his other crutch. But it was hard, so terribly hard for him. His energy was completely drained from simply standing up.

Unable to stand seeing his classmate struggle any longer Izuku stood up, the muscles in his back felt hot. But that didn't matter to him, not in this moment. He tentatively walked forward towards the volatile boy and grabbed the crutch for him, holding it out in a open palm as a peace offering. Kacchan moaned in pain as he straightened out his back again. His right eye glared with furry, offended at the gesture. He snatched the crutch out of Izuku's hand with no words, only a primal growl was his response. Without a word Bakugo turned around and opened the classroom door. But before he crossed the threshold he turned his head slightly to his right, his blood red eyes giving him one final scowl.

"I will never be weak like you again." He whispered, his tone a mixture of sadness and anger. With a slam of the door Izuku was once again alone, his only company were his thoughts.

He was completely and utterly lost, nothing was making any sense.

His mind raced as the analytical side of him took over, compiling all the facts as he knew them.

The first thing that came to his mind was that whole situation just seemed like Bakugo was venting his frustrations and anger. That was painly obvious.

Though from what Izuku was unsure.

All he could surmise was that something very traumatic had happened, and somehow Kacchan was injured. The whole event made him feel weak, helpless, just like Izuku was around him. But he refused to say anything on it, likely his pride getting in the way.

All his life Izuku knew what it was like to be helpless, but not Bakugo. From the day his quirk manifested and all the years leading to now, Bakugo had been a lone wolf, only surrounded by those who stroked his ego. He was strong, fit, confident, and prideful. There was nothing he couldn't overcome.

At least until now it seemed.

Something shattered his self image and he was lashing out like a cornered beast.

Izuku knew he couldn't let it end here. Despite the years of abuse, he still somewhat considered Kacchan a friend. After all Midoriya still called him by his childhood nickname, for the little that was worth. He had to believe that somewhere deep down was his old best friend. So that's why, knowingly disregarding the trouble it was likely to cause him, Izuku couldn't let this die.

Not without knowing.

So grabbing his backpack he quickly changed out of his soaked shirt and into a white shirt he had for gym today. He'd have to dispose of the ruined shirt later. As soon as he was finished he bolted out the door after Bakugo, who hadn't gotten too far. He was just a few meters from the school entrance, limping along with his crutches. The halls were empty, the majority of students had already left.

They were alone.

As he marched up to the boy Izuku wasn't really sure what he was going to do. He didn't have much of a game plan for how this was going to go he was pretty sure it was gonna end badly.

As he drew near Izuku called out, trying to get Bakugo's attention. "Kacchan!"

No responce, he just continued shuffling forward.

"Kacchan!" He called again. The limping figure came to a stop but did not turn around or acknowledge Izuku any further. But it was something, that's what mattered.

Coming to a slow stop Izuku reached out a hand towards Bakugo, intending to place it on his shoulder.

But just seconds before he could even lay a hand on him, Bakugo whirled around with speed that you wouldn't think possible for someone in his condition.

The last thing Izuku saw before he blacked out was a bandaged fist flying right for his face.

He woke up seemingly a few seconds later, staring up at the tan ceiling of the school. His right eye throbbed with pain, tears trickling down to the floor uncontrollably. He winced as he tried touched it with his hand. Dazed and confused he briefly forgot what had happened. As he tried to get up a great force impacted his side, sending him rolling onto his stomach. Izuku cried out from the burning pain that now filled his core, it echoed through the empty halls. A foot was roughly planted onto his back, the heel digging into his flesh. The boy curled his arms under him and attempted to push upwards, to try and force the foot off. But all that effort got him was a whack to his injured side from a metal crutch. Izuku cried out again.

"Listen here DEKU, I don't need your pity, I don't need your help, and I don't need your worthless ass following me!" He stomped on Izuku's back once again. "I don't need anyone looking down on me, thinking I'm weak like you." Bakugo dug his heel even harder into Izuku's back, it was getting hard for Izuku to breath. "You EVER try to help me again... and you'll wish you followed my advice. And jumped off the roof like I told you."

"THAT"S ENOUGH!" Yelled someone. The voice sounded familiar to Izuku for some reason.

Both students looked towards the voice that rung through the hall. Though his vision blurry and skewed from his position on the floor, Izuku saw a beautiful older woman approach them. Dressed in a black woman's business suit she strode towards them with a furious look in her red eyes. Her straight raven black hair seemed to dance around her shoulders, almost as if it was alive. Her look was so fierce that even Bakugo couldn't help but shrink back as she approached. His foot finally freed from his victim's back, which was a relief to Izuku despite the pain that lingered. The boy could hear his attacker shuffle backwards.

"I knew I heard yelling." Said as she approached.

The woman came to a stop next to the downed Midoriya, she knelt down and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The soothing contact was a sweet comfort from the rest of the pain in his body. With great care she turned him over onto his back and then with one arm lifted him into a sitting position. He could see her looking directly at the eye Bakugo had punch. "Can you hear me?" Her voice was sweet and sounded like a worried mother.

He managed to mumble out a "Y-Yeah." She smiled and he could feel her hand rubbing his back to ease the pain. But that smile quickly vanished as she glared up at Bakugo who was some distance away.

"What do you have to say for yourself young man? Attacking a student in the halls like this." She was furious, like a vengeful spirit. And in a moment oh so rare, Bakugo looked afraid... if only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure and just as he always did he responded with his own kind of fury.

"IT'S THAT STUPID DEKU'S FAULT! He should've just kept his nose in the dirt and out of my business!" His free hand curled into a fist while using a crutch to point to the wounded boy on the floor. The woman rolled her eyes and scoffed, she wasn't having any of this. "So you punch him in the eye and crush him under your foot!? You see his eye, it's starting to swell!" Her words were true, Izuku was having a hard time keeping his right eye open. And when he tried harder it only resulted in stinging pain.

Kacchan growled, furious that someone was standing up for Deku. That someone would take his worthless side. "It's what he gets you stupid COW! All he does is look down one me, he pities me. AND I FUCKING HAT-"

Bakugo's passionate hate-fueled rant was stopped when he saw the look in the woman's eyes. She laid Izuku back down gently and rose to her full height, stepping around Izuku she strutted her way over to the explosive teen. Bakugo for the second time looked upon this mysterious woman with fear, only this time it wasn't going away. He stood his ground, for what little that was worth. The woman towered over him, much like he'd done to Izuku. Her crimson red eyes stared into his own with such intensity that Bakugo nearly lost control of his bladder.

She leaned forward, a menacing scowl supplanting her matured beauty.

"My name is Sayomi Moriko and yours is Katsuki Bakugo correct? I've read your file. Powerful quirk, popular among your peers, and known trouble maker." She paced around the blond boy, circling like a hawk. "I'm a Cow you say? Well you better add a "sensei" onto the end of that title." She chuckled darkly. "Because starting tomorrow I'm the school's new Physical Education teacher." All of the color in Bakugo's face drained at her words, he realized what he'd done.

Sayomi saw his reaction and delighted in it. Her scowl contorted into a sickeningly sweet fake smile, but her professional tone remained. "So that's Cow-sensei to you punk." She giggled while tapping her cheek with her index finger. "But if you ever do call me Cow-sensei..." Her face darkened and she became deadly serious. "You'll be out of this school so fast your head'll spin. See... I don't care that you're popular, I don't care that you have a powerful quirk, I don't care that the school turns a blind eye to your behavior." She laid a hand on his shoulder sending a visible shiver up his body.

"To me you're just a student." Her hand gripped his shoulder with a bit more force.

"Are. We. Clear?"

For the first time in his life, Bakugo conceded defeat. He nodded his head with no angry look and no back handed comment. "Y-Yes ma'am." He stammered out, much like Izuku would.

In an instant Sayomi's demeanor changed, her expression brightened and a wholesome smile spread across her face. "Good. Now I will be taking Midoriya-san to the infirmary to tend to his injuries. You are free to go home Bakugo-san, and let your parents know that they will be receiving a call from me later this evening."

And with a bow of his head Bakugo made his way to the exit, sulking like a injured wolf with it's tail between it's legs. When he was out of sight Ms. Moriko turned her attention back to young Midoriya who laid stunned on the floor. She knelt down beside him once again, her motherly visage returned. "Are you able to walk?"

The injured boy nodded numbly, still shell-shocked from the display he just witnessed. With care he was raised to his feet, needles of pain showered his back with each movement. With a bit of unease he was standing once again, Ms. Sayomi holding on in support until he was comfortable he wouldn't collapse in front of her.

Leaning on the teacher for support the two slowly and carefully made their way to the nurse's office, which thankfully wasn't too far. In the meantime Izuku's brain was still processing what he had just witness.

Bakugo was verbally beaten into submission, and he backed off without a fight. No roar of rage, no curses, no nothing. Not a single person had ever stood up to Kacchan and succeeded, even the adults. All the other teachers were afraid of him, or rather afraid of what would happen if they disciplined him. Though he was sure some were legitimately afraid of his power. What most feared was the drop in prestige the school would face should Bakugo be expelled. The explosive teen was popular and well known in the school, and had the most powerful quirk of any student here. He was destined for U.A. and to become a hero, which the school could wear with pride. Something it sorely lacked. Aldera was not held in any high regard as no student from the school had gone on to become great hero.

Which was everything to a school in this world of Hero Worship.

Schools that produced great heroes got more funding, and more attention from the hero community.

So the lose of Bakugo would be a great loss to the school, so no one dared touch him.

But Ms. Moriko was different, she was not intimidated, and she laid down the law. It was unbelievable, no insane what she had just done. And as the a new teacher no less. A feeling welled up in Izuku and he didn't know what it was nor could he explain the tears flowing from his eyes, even the good one.

Before he knew it they were inside the nurse's office, she was absent however. Ms. Moriko sat him down on one of the beds that were used for very ill students.

"I'll be right back." She said sweetly. And just a moment later she returned with several ice-packs, one large, one small. She handed him the small ice-pack and told him to hold it against his swollen eye, with a nod he did as she asked. It stung like crazy at first, but the pain was quickly numbed away.

"Alright now, I'm gonna lift up the back of your shirt to put the big ice-pack on your back. Is that okay?" Her words were very clear, she was dealing with a student and must have his consent before doing something like this.

Izuku blushed slightly.

He had no real issue with her doing it, she was helping after all. But it was still a very pretty woman who would see him partially naked, even if it was just his back.

He nodded and soon after a shuddering chill went up his spine as he felt her hand lift up the back of his shirt. His face reddened deeper, but embarrassment was harshly replaced as the ice-pack was placed upon his sore back. His spine arched from the contact and the shiver. His teeth chatted like a cold breeze had just blew past him.

"So... you wanna tell me what happened Midoriya-san?" Said Ms. Moriko while she held the pack in place. Izuku was quiet for a time, he wasn't sure if he was unwilling to speak or unable to. But Ms. Moriko saved him, she deserved an answer. "W-Well... I guess it started when Kac-...Bakugo-san had walked in after lunch today." He recounted the whole story to her, everything from Bakugo's anger in class, to him throwing Izuku in the empty classroom, and finally the moment where he was punched to the floor and stomped on.

All the while Ms. Moriko listened quietly, but he could tell that she was disturbed by what she heard. She would have these little hitches in her breathing or press the ice-pack harder into his back for a second each time he talked about his beating.

The older woman put her free hand on her chin. "So... he attacked you for some self-perceived notion that he was weak."

Izuku nodded, confirming her understanding of the situation. She looked away for a moment, clearly in deep thought. When she finally turned back she had a slight concern on her face.

"Midoriya-san, you don't know how he got those injuries, and that's why you chased after him. To learn what happened."

He nodded again and she continued. "Well... I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but under these circumstances I think you should know." She paused, clearly disturbed by the information she was about to give,

"Last Friday after school, Bakugo-san was attacked by a slime villain. It nearly killed him."

A great surge of panic shot through Izuku, he broke out into a cold sweat and his breathing became labored. It took a great deal of willpower to keep himself from going into a full panic attack. "Wha-... slime villain? T-That's impossible, All Might captured that villain after it... it... I s-saw it's first attack. How could it have attacked Bakugo!"

Sayomi hugged the boy to ease some of his panic. "I don't know all of the details, but apparently at some point the villain escaped custody shorty after it was caught. It grabbed a hold on Bakugo-san and took control of his body, using his explosive quirk to terrorize a few city blocks."

The panic-riddled boy put a hand to his mouth in horror as the events of that day replayed in his mind. All he could really remember after he was saved was All Might's rejection then a period of just... emptiness as he walked away. Then he met Mei and everything that happened with her. The only time that the villain could have escaped was...

"After All Might left." He whispered, so quiet not even Sayomi could hear him.

A lump formed in his throat as the realization hit him.

In that blank period in his mind... it must have been when everything happened. While he was wallowing in his own sorrow, Bakugo was being attacked and used as a weapon by the villain. God it made him feel horrible, made him feel stupid, it made him feel angry. He ran his left hand through his hair and grabbed onto it hard enough to hurt, tears rolled how is cheeks.

"H-How was he saved?" He choked out.

Sayomi let out a tired breath. "From what I heard it was extremely difficult. With all of the explosions going on none of the heroes on-scene could get close enough to do anything. In a last ditch effort the heroes made a mad dash to save him, but they never got close enough. They were all blasted away, some got wounded pretty badly. Then when all hope seemed lost, All Might came in and blew the villain away. But by that time Bakugo was heavily injured, afterwords his family denied the news to air his name. Which is why no one but a few of the teachers know why he is in casts and bandages."

Izuku curled up into a ball as she told the tale. Guilt ate at his insides like a parasite.

He should have been there, maybe he could have helped.

Maybe if he hadn't been so absorbed in his own pity he would have heard the commotion and done something...

He didn't know what... he was powerless after all, he was weak, just like Bakugo must have felt.

If only he wasn't weak, he could have helped. And he couldn't stand it, anger flowed through his very soul.

His body trembled with self-hatred. His friend had nearly died and there was nothing he could've done about it. He thought of Mei, and if she was in that position, her life threatened by a monstrous villain. Fear overcame him as he imagined her screams while he was helpless to do anything.

"Midoriya-san." He heard a voice call, he could've sworn it was Mei.

"Midoriya-san?" It called again.

He felt his should being shook and he was snapped out of his fear.

"Midoriya-san!" Sayomi, concern evident in her voice. "I can feel that you're extremely upset over the news. Hearing about the near-death of a classmate is terrible." She paused and rubbed his should reassuringly. "And while I understand and feel sympathy towards Bakugou-san and his family, an event like that is something a family should never go through. But at the same time I also can't ignore what he did to you." She let out a deep breath. "I know this may be hard for you answer, but please answer me truthfully."

"This... isn't the first time he's beaten you, has he Midoriya-san?" It wasn't a question. Izuku sat there uncomfortably, shifting his weight anxiously.

He wanted to lie, to say that this was a one time thing. That it must have been the stress from the attack that sent him over the edge. He wanted to make some excuse for Bakugo, something he did often. But he couldn't lie to Sayomi, not after what she did for him.

Not able to bring himself to say it though he just simply nodded his head, clear enough for her to understand.

It was quiet after that. The light pitter-patter of rain and distant sounds of thunder was all that could be heard. It would have been nice in a different circumstance.

"I can get him expelled, if you want." Sayomi said, calm and clear.

Izuku's heart skipped a beat and his head whipped upward at her face. She showed no emotion, just staring at the wall ahead of her. He let out a choked cough as the words sunk into his mind. For a moment despite the sorrow he felt over his uselessness the bewildered boy considered the option and he briefly imagined what that future would look like.

The rest of his middle school year would be peaceful. No more beatings, no more harassment, no more Bakugo.

'No more.' He whispered in his mind, as if someone could here him.

He'd be free to continue his studies in peace his mother wouldn't have to worry or cry anymore when he came home with cuts and bruises or torn clothes. He wouldn't have to keep making excuses that he knew his mother didn't believe. He would never have to rewrite whole pages of notes after his originals were burned. Maybe his anxiety would get better.

Maybe he could be a normal teenager.

But then... what of Bakugo?

He'd never get into any of the top hero schools that was for sure. U.A. or Shiketsu wouldn't allow someone with an expulsion on their record, nore would many other hero schools. With that Bakugo's future as a Pro Hero would extremely difficult if not outright impossible. His dream of becoming Number 1 would be crushed, just like Izuku's. And Izuku would be the one to pull the trigger.

Would he finish school in a regular High School?

Would he go to Aldera High just like he was? In that case his peace time would be short lived.

Would Bakugo become a villain?

That scared him, that scared him more than anything in the world.

His old friend was already violent, volatile, and egotistical. His goal of beating All Might and becoming Number 1 was what drove him. Without that dream... with nothing left to strive for. Would Bakugo lose what control he had left and take his anger and sorrow out on the world?

It was a possibility that Izuku couldn't ignore, he wouldn't.

His own dream of being a hero was squashed before he was even born, a result of the genetic lottery that was life. That was nobody's fault, just a random bit of bad luck. But choosing to destroy someone's dream? He wouldn't do that to his friend, especially not after what had just happened, it would be too much. Deep down Bakugo was still that little boy that he befriended, who shared his dream of being Number One. They were going to reach that goal together, despite it being impossible. But they didn't know that at the time.

He wouldn't condemn his friend.

He wouldn't turn him down a dark path, even though it mean't more pain for him.

So with conviction in his heart he turned his gaze to his new teacher, his lungs filled with a deep breath. "No, please don't do that to him. A long time ago the two of us were friends, the two of us have wanted to be heroes our entire lives, it's why we became friends in the first place. And he was a good friend too, but... he got his quirk. A powerful one that would allow him to fulfill his dream. The attention, the praise, it changed him into who he is today. But he still wants to be a hero. I'm..." He shuddered, sorrow filled his soul. "I'm quirkless... my dream of being a hero is gone. But... even if I can't be a hero, I still want to see Bakugo achieve his dream. I don't wanna crush his dreams of being a hero. " There, he said it.

Now he waited to see if Ms. Moriko would listen to him.

She was quiet and unreadable to Midoriya, like staring at a sculpture. Anxiety creeped into his heart, worried that she would ignore his answer and expel Bakugo. She was a teacher, and it was her duty to ensure the safety of her students. So far she was the only teacher who upheld that duty, unlike so many others. He could tell she would have the conviction to see through Bakugo's expulsion to the end.

Finally she spoke. "Is that what you truly want Midoriya-san?" She simply asked.

A drop of sweat ran down from his forehead, despite the cold of the ice-pack. He swallowed hard and replied with a simple but firm. "Yes."

With that Ms. Moriko's facade broke and she let out a tired sigh, then oddly a small laugh. "You're too compassionate for your own good kid." Her eyes stared off, like she was looking at a far away scene. A faint smile graced her beautiful face. "You remind me of... an old friend. He was much the same way." Her smile deepened and looked down to Izuku. "I won't expel Bakugo-san... for now. But understand this young Midoriya-san, my mercy has a limit."

This limit was vague, but Izuku understood. She clearly could not stand bullying and asking her to excuse Bakugo's behavior was asking for a lot. And at some point enough would be enough. "I understand."

"Good. Now while I have accepted your plea, I cannot sit by without doing anything." Her tone was more serious. "I'm going to put in a request to have him transferred to a different class, to limit the amount of exposure the two of you have. Does that sound fair to you?"

He sighed and nodded, it was a fair concession. "Yes Moriko-sensei."

Ms. Moriko didn't respond, instead she reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a small business card. "Here, if you ever need a safe place. Or if you just wanna talk, you can come here when ever you want." She handed him the card.

It was a black card, with stylized with elaborate gold framing. In white stylized text were the words: Kakushi-ken Dojo. Below was the address and two phone-numbers, one personal and one business.

"This is my dojo, I teach Jujutsu, among other things." Sayomi said with a slight giggle.

Izuku looked the card over, idly feeling it with his fingers. A dojo would be a fun place to be. Jujutsu is one of the most common martial arts in the world, due to how easy it is to learn compare to other martial arts and it's focus on grapples and take-downs. Which made it very popular among heroes with non-physically offensive quirks. The chance to see it in action would be a wonderful experience.

"Sure I'll come by tomorrow if that's okay." Izuku his mood lifting dramatically.

Ms. Moriko smiled brightly. "It sure is and I'm glad to hear it. So how are you feeling?

Izuku pulled the now mostly melted ice-pack away from his eye and tested opening his eye There was a slight tingling but otherwise he could open his eye fully. "Eye feels okay."

Sayomi leaned forward to get a look at his eye. "Doesn't seem to be bruising, so that's good."

Next he stretched his back, finding it to still sting but to a much more manageable level. "Back feels much better. I think I'm good for now, thank you Moriko-sensei."

Sayomi took the ice-pack off his back and set it aside. Izuku stood up and pulled the back of his shirt down.

Ms. Moriko got up as well, collecting the two melted ice-packs. "You're welcome. If everything is settled you should probably start heading home, would you like me to walk you to the train station?"

Izuku quickly shook his head while picking up his backpack and sling it over his shoulder. "I'll be okay by myself, thank you for asking."

With that Sayomi escorted Midoriya to the school entrance, and lucky for Izuku the rain had stopped while he was in the nurse's office. At least something went right today. The boy opened the door and gave one last look back towards his savoir and teacher. "Thank you again for everything Moriko-sensei, I'll see you tomorrow." And with each-other waving goodbye Izuku headed off towards home, leaving the woman behind.

A knowing smile spread across her face while she watched the green-haired boy walked away. She turned around and headed back into her school, both hands on her hips. A confident chuckle escaped her lips.

"He's a good kid, All Might was a damn fool for rejecting him. Don't worry Midoriya, I won't fail you like he did."

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait, my sister was in the hospital for a bit. Nothing serious, but still distracting.

She's fine though, no problems other than a bit of anxiety.

Anyways leave a comment on the chapter, I always love seeing them.


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